Through your eyes
by sweetsnake
Summary: Claire Laurel, the new DADA teacher at Hogwarts finds herself attracted to the man nobody loves, but does he return her affections? After all, she is blind. Dangerous adventures unfold as the pair find themselves in complicated situations. Please review!
1. Memories

**Hey guys, I wrote this fic about a year ago and I've just re-read it recently to realize that my dialogue, punctuation, spelling, grammar and sentence structure needs a lot of work. It's still a good story that I love, but I'm going to go over it during the summer to try and correct my mistakes. Happy reading!**

Dark stone walls caressed the entrance way to the dungeons of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Nothing stirred, nothing breathed for fear of provoking the dark and solitary wizard that inhabited the lone and miserable classroom, deep within the darkest tunnels of the magical school.

Suddenly, a howl of rage swept through the corridors, echoing off the walls as the dark wizard through the experimental potion at the wall in a towering temper. Once again, his potion was not successful and he stared down with deep, almost lifeless eyes at a newly deceased, brown haired rat.

Severus Snape, potions master as well as death eater turned spy, promptly picked up the limp and very dead brown rat. He had been so hopeful it would make it through his final attempt at a potion made especially for a cynical and sadistic bastard.

He flicked his wand carelessly with one swift motion of his wrist and the broken pieces of glass vanished. Normally he would never attempt such a critical and, for lack of a better word, evil potion in his classroom but his private libratory was being cleaned by the house-eves. Severus was in no way pleased that his private chambers were being seen, let alone _touched_. However, a discreetly veiled threat from the headmaster had him relenting and stalking into his classroom. He was presently crouching on one of his _own_ desks in his classroom where he loathed even the thought of touching a desk that one of his students may have come into contact with.

Severus let out a small sigh and put the small deceased animal into a box tiny enough for its body, he then flicked his wand and the box disappeared. Never would he have thought he would be putting a small animal in a box instead of chucking it outside.

_No doubt where it belongs. _His mind responded as a small sneer graced his features. He quickly found the sneer disappearing from his face; it was no longer a great pleasure for him to hold his facial expressions in one of disgust or contempt. He was tired. Tired of sneering, tired of glaring, tired at hating the world, and yet, he found himself bound to his stiff demeanour and harsh words. His sharp tongue ready for any verbal sparring. Oh yes, Severus quite enjoyed his capability of intimidation, his glare so fierce a basilisk would scurry away pitifully to find shelter. He enjoyed solitude and yet, still, he wished on the odd occasion that he wasn't alone. He hoped that somehow, somewhere he would find someone in which he could talk to and not retaliate to his sarcastic and dry humour.

He cursed himself mentally for his weakness and quickly schooled his face of any trace of self-pity. He would _not_ be weak and he _would_ be the snarky, slithering bastard his students and staff members came to know and definitely not love.

Love. That stupid, silly word. That word had caused more grief and bitterness in his life than any man would know. Severus' lip curled in disgust as he mouthed the word. He sat down shakily on a chair next to an old desk near the back of his classroom. He ran his long pale fingers over the carved wood of the dark desk in front of him_… The farthest desk away from the front of the class_, why did that cause a commotion in his head? He racked his brains trying to resurface a lost memory. He traced designs with his fingers over the smooth surface until he came upon a disturbance in the carved piece of furniture. His fingernails scraped lightly over the crack. He moved his hand slightly to uncover a name.

A _name_ was scratched into the surface of the desk. _Who would dare right on one of my desks? _He seethed, furious at the dunderhead who had purposely written, no, scratched his or her name on a piece of _his _property. His head quickly darted towards the desk, his coal black hair swinging in front of his face like a dark curtain. He squinted at the spiked letters carved into the surface. Slowly he moved his hand inch by inch over the letters as they each presented themselves before his eyes. S…E...V, his eyes continued following the letters. A sluggish memory started to resurface, but before he could remember, his hand had finished its trail down the letters. E…R…U…S.

SEVERUS.

Severus was completely dumbfounded to realize that it was his own name carved into the wood with the same spiky letters he used to grade students papers every day. While he stubbornly refused to believe he would be foolish enough to write on a desk, he forgot about the trail of his hand as it continued down the path of the name, revealing more letters and symbols. His eyes snapped back to the desk and he realized with a jolt the next name beside it was written in an entirely different scrawl. It curved lightly and elegantly into spirals descending to complement other letters. A…N...D, by know Severus was getting impatient and, instead of continuing the revelation of each letter, ripped his hand of the desk to reveal the next name.

However ready he had thought he was for this revelation, it quickly came crashing down as he stared at the beautifully written name.

LILY.

Severus wasn't sure how much one name could hurt. That one memory finally leaked in front of his eyes.

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He saw himself as a teenager holding a beautiful young red haired Lily Evans. She was giggling at something he had whispered in her ear. They were holding hands under the table so as not to catch the attention of one Professor Slughorn. Severus discreetly grabbed his wand out of his uniform sleeve and muttered very quietly under his breath at the desk in front of him. He saw his younger self smile slowly at the name being carved into the desk.

Lily smiled up at him from her position at his shoulder, brought her wand up alongside his, and muttered the same incantation. In beautifully scrawled letters, the word 'and' was added next to his name and soon followed by her own. He blushed deeply and she giggled, covering her face in his robes, muffling the sound from her classmates.

She reached up gently and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. 'I love you…' she had whispered into his ear. It was perfect, everything was perfect. It didn't matter that his home life was shit, that his father beat him and his mother could no longer protect him. It didn't matter that he didn't have any friends or that the only ones who claimed to be were using him.

All that mattered, in that instant, was that Lily was here in his arms, she loved him back after all the years he secretly hoped she would. She was his and nothing could change that. Except Potter. A paper ball was thrown across the room and hit Severus square on the nose. He rubbed it angrily and tried to retaliate, but Lily grasped his arm firmly pulled him back to his chair.

"Don't worry about him; he'll get what's coming to him," she whispered hurriedly into his ear before he could resist any further. He looked into her bright green eyes and decided he would not retaliate if only for her. He watched in amusement as she glared daggers at a flustered looking Sirius Black and a snickering James Potter.

"So immature," she sighed, shaking her head. The bell rang and they left the classroom together holding hands.

They entered the hall and walked to their next class before his shoulders went rigid and he started to fall face first. Lily quickly grabbed him, realizing he'd been hexed, a muffled squeak escaping her lips before she lowered him slowly to the floor, his weight to much for her to hold. She whipped her head around and snarled quite viciously for a girl. Potter and Black both had their wands pointed where he had been only moments ago. Lily screeched angrily, lifted her wand and advanced on both boys so fast they barely saw a flash of red hair before her wand came back into view pointing in between Potters eyes.

"Which one of you did it? Or was it both of you?" She hissed quietly.

"But, but Lily!" Potter started piteously, "He's a loser, why do you hang around him! A smashed nose is so much more then he deserves!"

"How would you like to be seeing out of your arse, James? I can arrange that quickly enough. Now, which one of you did it?"

By this time, the hex had worn off and Severus could move fully once again. He quickly clambered to his feet and watched with rapped attention as Lily threatened Potter, and what a beautiful sight it was.

Both boys paled considerably and stared at her wide-eyed.

"Lily! You wouldn't! We're in your house!"

"Yeah!" Sirius added stupidly.

"I don't care about houses! You just hexed my boyfriend!" Her voice rose a little higher as she continued.

Severus was quite smug at this point; he quickly walked over to Lily and wrapped an arm over her shoulders possessively from behind and pulled her away from the boys.

"Come on Lily, I don't want you to get in trouble," he mumbled hurriedly in her ear. She was still glaring at the two boys when the rest of their crew showed up. Pettigrew and Lupin walked up to their side and paled considerably when they noticed Lily's read face and glare.

Severus guided her slowly towards the other side of the corridor and pushed her along so as not to be late for their next class.

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So immersed in his memories, Severus hadn't realized the door had opened after three unanswered knocks. The Headmaster Dumbledore opened the door cautiously, peering inside, seeking his favoured staff member. He loved Severus dearly like a son, even if the man never returned the kind gestures or reassuring words he was so fond giving. He looked around the dark classroom and noticed the bubbling cauldron at the front of the class along with a small teaspoon.

He also noted with slight anxiety that his newest lab rat had disappeared. _Another failed experiment then, _he mused. His clear blue eyes swept the classroom, still in search of Severus before his eyes caught sight of a dark, huddled figure near the back of the classroom. As soon as his eyes rested on the man, the headmaster grew very worried.

He ran through various potions accidents that could have occurred as he swept quickly towards the normally poised and stoic man. Albus stopped short of reaching out and grabbing the man's shoulder, for he noticed that they shook. Instead of initiating contact with the younger man, he quickly walked around the desk to where Severus' face was hidden by the curtain of black hair that framed his normally blank or indifferent expression. Albus kneeled down on to the cold, hard tiled floor and looked up into the man's face.

Something was definitely wrong, Albus thought, before he tilted his head and looked into his eyes, a never ending pool of blackness, not seeing, glazed over. His eyes stared ahead as if he were momentarily paralyzed. Albus stared at his face and then whispered softly, "Severus?"

A single tear slowly ran down the length of the younger man's face. It held all the remorse, pain, grief and loss Albus was sure entangled the man's heart every day. The corner of the Headmasters mouth twitched slightly and he drew his hand up to brush the tear from his face. As soon as his fingers made contact with the man's skin, Severus snapped back to reality and flinched away as if burnt by the contact.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed sharply. He calmed his breathing and looked down to see Albus still on the floor.

"Uh." Once he realized it was Albus, he felt a little silly for his reaction. "Forgive me, Headmaster, I didn't realize you were here," he snarled, quickly regaining his composer.

"My dear boy, how many times have I asked you to call me Albus?"

"My dearest apologies, _Albus_." He replied sarcastically, raising one dark eyebrow when the older man looked at him quizzically.

"Indeed." The Headmaster rumbled good naturedly. Then he sighed and stood up to his full height.

Severus suddenly felt self conscious and embarrassed. He cursed his weakness and all memories of his past.

As if reading his expression the headmaster placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's better not to forget, Severus; you might need to call upon such memories in the future."

"Of course, Albus," he replied dully. There was no escaping the insufferable man; did he _have_ to pop in at unexpected moments? Severus suddenly felt extremely tired; he could almost feel the skin dragging down below his eyes and a yawn starting in the base of his throat.

"Goodnight, Headmaster," he said respectfully, although disdainfully, and headed towards his private chambers with a last billowing of his black robes.

Albus sighed quietly and murmured a small "goodnight," in return. He flicked his wand tiredly and walked out of the classroom. He only hoped Severus would receive the letter he had just sent when he awoke.

Hey guys! So there's my first chapter, hope you enjoyed it. Please review :)


	2. Claire Laurel

_Chapter 2_

Black. That's all there was. That's all there ever was. Why did she hope like every morning she opened her eyes that she would see differently? To see colors, or shapes, she could only dream of such things. And yet, even her dreams were not accurate due to her lack of experience. She stretched her limbs exaggeratedly, and whispered a small _accio wand; _it flew towards her silently yet with a small gust of wind only she could feel.

Due to her blindness her senses were acute. She could feel the slightest breeze, the lightest of touches. Her reflexes were lighting fast and her ears able to pick up even the barest of sounds. She could sense ones presence even ones expressions simply by the softest of vibrations. This served her greatly during her day to day life.

Her wand was another issue entirely. She had a simple proximity spell bound to her wand at all times, not interfering when she was in need of casting a different spell. Her wand was her walking stick, it fabricated a wide energy circle around her, that useful tool alerted her to dangers or embarrassing moments such as bumping into everything or every person who came to close. She had to admit that without her wand she would be, not entirely useless seeing as she had dealt with her blindness on her own before she got her wand at the age of eleven, but would be less balanced and concentrated.

She used her wand to detect what she was consuming and whether it was a threat to her health. Her wand was her life and she knew it. She was very careful with it and had never let it leave her side, she had even gone as far as to place a personal and highly illegal (if you were not licensed) spell which would automatically transport her wand right to her finger tips in case of emergency. Along with her license, The Ministry of Magic had given to her 2 identical silver bracelets. The carvings on them, she had to admit, were beautifully designed and well to her liking.

When she had received them she had run a graceful hand over the design burning each detail into her memory. One of the two bracelets had magically shrunken to fit her wand, it curved gracefully from the bottom of the wand, entwining with each other until it reached the tip of it. The curls of light silver felt as if they had been painted onto her wand it was so light, she could not feel it even when she grasped it with both hands.

The second bracelet also magically shrunk to fit her wrist. It also entwining gracefully together, started from her wrist and slithered up her arm reaching until the point just below her elbow. It had felt wonderful putting it on, as if magic curled up her arm alongside the cool metal eliciting a small shiver from her. Ever since the Minister had given it to her, she had never once taken it off. The bracelets served to exist like a connection between witch and wand. She had but to whisper a password while tracing the design with her fingers and her wand would immediately be transported right to her fingertips.

She was happy to note that she could pick the password herself. She had decided upon 'Anne' as it was the name of her deceased mother. She had never activated this certain safety precaution because it was only to be used in emergencies; thankfully, she had never needed it.

Claire Laurel sat up in her bed, eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Suddenly a realisation hit her, sending a cold chill into her the pit of her stomach. Today was the day. She tried to calm her nerves jumping at an irregular speed. Her breath hitched in her throat and she felt sick. She took deep shuddering breaths and stood up. Her wand immediately alerted her to the desk a few paces to her right. She avoided it gracefully and wandered over to her drawer's intent on finding appropriate attire for the day's occasion.

It was the day she would be returning to Hogwarts since she had graduated almost ten years ago. She was going to be the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. To say she was nervous about her first day was an incredible understatement. She didn't know if she could teach. What if they didn't listen to her? What if they learnt nothing from her? Would she be too strict or too lenient? She was generally good with children but not with teenagers. Her stomach clenched in fear at the thought of being fired so soon during the year. Claire was an extremely bright student; being sorted into Ravenclaw had reassured her success during her studies and had gained her many friends. She had broken the record for longest time to decide which house she should be sorted into when the sorting hat was placed on her head.

She was very intelligent yes, but also loyal, brave, and cunning. The sorting hat had taken longer than forty five minutes before placing her in a house suitable for her needs. And now she was teaching Defence against the Dark Arts, her favourite subject other than potions.

She knew her hair was a mess but didn't worry for her wand could fix her up in no time. She walked slowly towards her shower and turned on the knobs. She quickly jumped in and let the warm water cascade down her body soothing her pains from the night and quickly washing away her worries. She adored showers, they helped her think and feel comfortable enough to exhale without fear of being watched constantly like she was a walking time bomb, an accident waiting to happen. These thoughts infuriated her more than she could have thought possible, just because she was blind did not mean she was incompetent. She was actually very precise and organized, taking care in all projects. She did her best no matter how trivial the task. One of her few faults were taking other people's opinions of her to heart. She wanted them to look at her and see not a small insecure child in need of guidance and protection but a strong and intelligent woman who was not only independent but confidant and comfortable. She portrayed this well however nervous or insecure she felt.

Her thoughts drifted back to her new profession and she quickly turned off the water determined not to be late for her first day as teacher. It was still two weeks until the start of school term but that, naturally, was when the teachers attended the school so as not to be unorganized when the children came bounding into their classrooms. Claire's eyes shifted, never focussing on a certain object as she propelled herself towards her bedroom once again, she got dressed quickly hoping her attire was suitable. She may not be able to see color but she could certainly feel patterns and texture. Claire smirked lightly when she remembered comments from her classmates when they could not figure out how she matched her clothes so perfectly when she couldn't even see them. Dressed and ready to go, she quickly drew her hair up in a messy bun that could be interpreted as fun as well as slightly 

professional. She could feel stray hairs caress her face but didn't bother putting them up again. She then trusted her wand to do her make-up; she could feel by the light dusting on her face that it was not too harsh or too condescending. She grabbed her small purse and swung on a travelling cloak, she then walked confidently over to her fireplace and grabbed some flew powder. She stepped inside the fireplace and through down the powder murmuring a light "Hogwarts, Dumbledore's office". The flames erupted from the ashes engulfing her in heat she could barely stand due to her sensitivity. She started to swirl and her nervousness came to its peak as she felt the spinning overtake her senses.

Determined not to make a fool of herself she took extra pains so as not to stumble in his office like a clumsy teenager.

God damn it!

She was an intelligent and competent young lady, twenty eight years old to be exact. She was going to be God damn presentable when she walked into that room. When the swirling had eventually died down and she could walk without tripping, she slowly exited, clearing off her robes with a light brush of her hand. She lifted her head confidently before continuing her way into the office.

Albus Dumbledore was writing quietly on his desk when the roar of the flu network alerted him to his newest staff member. He looked up and smiled kindly at the sweet girl, no, woman before him. He watched, interested as she came into view and quietly brushed herself off before walking a few more paces into the room.

"Good morning Claire!" He said lightly as the young lady before him inclined her head respectfully murmuring a quiet "Headmaster." before awaiting an invitation as to whether she should sit or stand.

"Oh please, call me Albus were are on a first name basis here. Have a seat." He indicated the chair in front of him before realising his mistake; he quickly began correcting his proposal as he lifted himself out of his seat and walked quickly towards her extending his hand intending on grabbing hers. "Here you are dear girl, come now, take my hand and I will help you."

Claire felt the soft hand touch hers but respectfully declined. She walked a few paces before being alerted to a chair only a few paces away. She gracefully sank down into the cosy arm chair he had indicated. She turned her face towards his voice and smiled lightly.

"Good morning then, Albus" She replied smoothly interlacing her fingers and laying them on her lap.

Albus watched in fascinated amusement as Claire walked herself past the coffee table without any hint of her disability. He then noted her kind smile and informal greeting. He chuckled lightly when her tongue tripped over his first name as if it were a foreign language. He smiled to himself and floated over to his desk were he took a seat and regarded his newest professor. He began to wonder how she would fit in with the rest of the staff. Surely she knew all of them from her time there? Oh yes he quite remembered, the only person she had yet to meet was…Severus. Albus came to this conclusion and remembered that professor Slughorn had been potions master and it wasn't until a year after her graduation that he requested the position as potions master. Albus smiled wickedly at this and turned his blue eyes back to Claire before noticing her small smile and raised eyebrow. However, before he could ask what she found so amusing she had spoken first.

"Albus what are you planning? I wouldn't put it past you to be plotting a completely unimportant celebration for my arrival." How she knew he was planning anything was beyond him.

"Why, nothing my dear. Whatever would give you that impression?" he asked, the most innocent note in his voice he had ever used just to be sure her sensitive ears didn't pick up on his amusement. He received no answer to his question other that a small nervous giggle. He gazed back at her and took in her appearance. Long, silken brown hair was pulled up into a small messy bun, her eyebrows curved elegantly across her forehead. His gaze wondered hesitantly down towards her eyes, they were crystal clear with a beautiful sapphire color and shine to them. The only indication of her disability was the slight shift her eyes adopted when looking at nothing in particular. He could tell she tried hard to make it appear that she could see perfectly well, but the slight angle of her vision indicated she was not directly on target. He then noticed her perfectly straight nose and small yet full pink lips. Her face was pale yet nowhere near as pale as Severus', her face held high cheekbones and a strong yet narrow chin. She was beautiful, almost angelic. She suddenly drew her eyebrows down in a slight frown and her eyes grew dark.

"Please do not stare Albus, it's impolite." She whispered only a slight tremor to her voice indicating her discomfort.

"I'm sorry child; I was just appreciating your growth since last I saw you." He replied smoothly. She seemed to relax slightly at that notion and quickly bowed her head in shame, her cheeks coloring slightly.

"Albus I'm sor--"

"Oh no my dear, no need to apologize, how have you been?"

She lifted her head slightly and replied with an almost mechanic response of "Fine, thank you Albus'. He frowned slightly at that, but simply let it slide.

They chatted about nothing of importance before they finally landed on the topic of her new found employment.

"I presume you remember all the staff?" Albus asked innocently.

"Oh yes," Claire replied enthusiastically "There is Professor Flitwick, Professor Binns, Professor Sprout, and Professor McGonagall of course. There is Professor Slughorn—" here she was cut off at a quiet chuckle from the headmaster. She probably wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for her sensitive ears. Now she was more convinced than ever that he was up to something.

"Actually," he corrected lightly "There is a new potions master and head of Slytherin, he has been a Professor roughly nine years and has been in the order for around fifteen."

"Oh?" She replied slowly. A new teacher? Well then, he couldn't be more than seven or eight years her senior. '_Sounds…exiting'_ she thought and quickly cast the thought away. She was dealing with a co-worker! Not a high school crush. She quickly shook her head before noticing Albus was still talking.

"You might find him…difficult to deal with. Many of our staff do. He has, a… "Albus paused for a moment and chewed his words before finding the right ones. "Quite the unapproachable front. I simply ask you be patient with him and if not, simply tolerate him please for the sake of the students."

Her first thoughts were '_Interesting…'_ This intrigued her slightly. But she simply nodded offhandedly before refocusing on his words.

"He likes solitude so it would be wise to leave him be, his humour may seem dark but I ask you not to take what he says personally. You are welcome to expect a warm welcome from the staff but please do not let his behaviour or lack of enthusiasm disturb you."

"I understand" She replied carefully, not giving the old man the satisfaction of seeing her interest. Albus watched the different emotions play across her face; they were well hidden, he vaguely wondered if she was an Occlumens. He finally decided to end their little chat and clapped his hands loudly.

Claire jumped at the unexpected sound before she felt his arm lightly guiding her towards the door.

"Well it was lovely seeing you again Claire, your rooms are on the main floor closest to the old Defence against the Dark Arts classroom, do you need an escort…?"

Claire shook her head vigorously a little irritated that he believed she needed assistance. "No thank you Albus I am quite capable of finding my way."

He nodded and murmured a low "Of course, dear lady."

"Good day Headmaster," she stated a little cheerily.

"Your belongings have already been brought to your rooms, good day to you to Miss Laurel."

Claire exited his office and walked down the spiral staircase so immersed in her own thoughts she vaguely registered her wand alerting her to another presence coming at an alarming speed. She continued to walk until she collided with something quite hard.

She heard a small intake of breath and felt her feat lose their balance. She was falling to the floor; she spread out her arms to break her fall when suddenly she felt an iron clasp on her wrist preventing her from hitting the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief before being yanked into the air quite roughly. "Watch where you're…" The harsh voice suddenly died down, she once again got that uncomfortable feeling of being examined. Irritation bubbled alarmingly fast inside her chest as she finished the sentence for him.

"Going?" She snapped. Snatching her wrist out of the man's gripe

"Forgive me…" The voice said after a moment, it was gruff and uncaring obviously not meaning the words it spoke.

"I didn't notice you were…"

"What?" She hissed daring him to continue. She turned her eyes towards the voice and glared fiercely where she desperately hoped his face was.

"Blind? Thanks for the observation, but I think I've noticed!" The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. It infuriated her so much when people spoke the obvious. She brushed past the man and quickly headed towards her rooms.

Hey guys, second chapter , yay! Hope you liked it, THere will be some more character devolpement to come with Claire. Tell me what you think, please review :)


	3. A Different Perspective

Chapter 3

Severus Snape was on his way towards the headmaster's office when he decided to re-evaluate his situation. He had already decided upon ignoring his little fit of the night before. Dwelling on his weakness and questioning his sanity would do him no good when facing his staff members that day. It was the day when all staff would return to Hogwarts (other than the ones who stayed). He didn't know exactly why he was being summoned to the headmaster's office that morning but relented after reading the note by his bedside table when he awoke. He was nervous. He could admit that much. What would the headmaster say after such a display? His inner voice tried to remind him that Albus didn't care how he acted as long as he was respectful, and yet, another part of him screamed of his plot to utterly humiliate him with this new found information.

Severus paused briefly midstride to shake his head. Why? After sixteen years he had never once shed a tear, never once let anything slip past his facial expressions, even fear, an emotion quite familiar to him, contrary to popular belief. At this he snorted, the sound echoing off the halls in the deserted hallway. How could anyone not experience fear when in the presence of The Dark Lord? When your life meant nothing? And when a single word could decide your fate? The smallest slip the death of your friends, family even your country?

His thoughts were wandering dangerously close to sensitive memories therefore he quickened his pace, straightened his back and clicked his heals against the tile floor making the sound echo loud enough for any wanderer to be alerted of his presence. He plastered a sneer on his face for extra measure. He saw Albus' office coming up on his right. He quickened his pace even further wishing nothing more than to be back down in his dungeons working on a potion to, he didn't know, poison the whole student body perhaps? Anything was better than discussing, well, anything with headmaster and his damned lemon drops.

He quickly murmured a quiet "Sugar pops" grimacing as the words left his mouth and practically ran up the revolving staircase.

Then he saw it, well a little too late. A blur suddenly smacked into his chest, hard. It practically knocked the wind out of him; he quickly regained his balance and reached out just in time to grab a wrist. A small wrist. _'How odd,'_ he thought _'there are no students here yet.'_ Quickly placing on the fiercest glare he could muster, he then yanked the child up a little harshly, ha had to admit.

"Watch were you're…" The sharply said words died down in his throat. The small figure had lifted its, no, her head. She was beautiful. Plain and simple he could not deny it. And no child he thought, smirking. Dark curls framed her fragile looking face, her features sharp yet subtle. She wore a navy blue blouse with a beautifully detailed black jacket over top. Her blouse and jacket were then well complimented with an elegant white skirt reaching to her knees followed by white high heels.

Severus quickly snapped his head back up to her face ready to continue his cutting sentence before she beat him to it.

"Going?" She said heatedly. Finishing his sentence before he had even the slightest chance. Wow. A woman had just stood up to Professor Severus Snape and he had to admit he, well, he quite liked it. She still owed him respect that was sure, but how long had it been since he had a conversation with a woman? They normally shied away from him or downright avoided him. Well, with the exception of Minerva of course, he mused silently.

His eyes travelled over her face before they locked onto her eyes. He was speechless, beautiful deep blue eyes stared at him. Wait. They weren't looking at him; they were looking slightly to the right of him. Now this infuriated him, maybe she didn't have as much courage as he had thought. She couldn't even look him in the eyes. But that's when he noticed the slight shift to them, the way they seemed slightly glazed over. With a sudden shock he realized she couldn't see. She was blind. Well, that explained why she didn't fear him. She couldn't see the sneer plastered on his face or the slight curl of his lip. With renewed annoyance he quickly hooded his voice with disdain and casual indifference, maybe a small trace of irritation.

"Forgive me…" He said, happy to note her eyes flashed dangerously even though they held no sight. Eyes, were after all, still the window to the soul, hers were perhaps, just foggy.

"I didn't notice you were…" He didn't bother to sneer knowing it would be a waste for her not to cower in fear before it.

Then suddenly she seemed to grow a few inches taller and her face got slightly closer to his. For the first time in a while, facing a woman, he felt a slight flicker of unease. He dully noted she had already wrenched her wrist away from his grasp with surprising strength.

"What?" She hissed viciously. She then turned her face again towards him but missing by a couple inches, and, to his slight astonishment, glared fiercely at him. It was irritatingly impressive he admitted grudgingly, he heard the unspoken threat and opened his mouth to speak before she cut him off.

"Blind? Thanks for the observation, but I think I've noticed!" He was momentarily dumbstruck before he noticed she was pushing his shoulder out of the way and proceeding down the hall with an angry clip to her step.

Well, he mused, that was…interesting. By all accounts he should have been angry, well royal pissed off anyway, but instead he found the whole situation amusing. Yep, he was going insane. Damn all dunderheaded children! This job was driving him up the wall.

With the not so comforting thought of his sanity down for the count, he moodily knocked on the headmaster's door. A small chorus of "Enter!" made him suddenly want to turn away. But, he knew it was useless if he didn't go see the headmaster, he would most likely track him down anyway.

With a stiff hand, he turned the door knob, gritted his teeth and entered the office.

"Ah! Severus! Come sit down, my boy."

Why did he have to sound so surprised? He, after all had left the note on his bedside table. This further annoyed the potions master as he came around the coffee table and sat down in his favourite chair. He then regarded the headmaster with a certain degree of unease.

Albus watched as Severus walked gracefully into the room only slowing to avoid his coffee table, he regarded the younger man carefully letting his head tilt slightly to the side in welcome, as blue eyes searched black ones. He sadly noted the apparent unease lurking within.

"Oh Severus, will you calm down? My dear boy! Why do you look so ill at ease?" Albus then glided over to his desk and stippled his fingers under his chin.

Severus, annoyed at his slip, quickly schooled his features into one of slight indifference. He quickly cursed himself once more, realizing he needed to answer the question.

"I have recently acquired the…pleasure of meeting a new guest, I suppose, in the castle." He tried for casual but it came out as a sneer. He didn't mind though, anything that would re-solidify his façade.

"Oh?" The headmaster prodded, already having a good idea who the younger man had encountered.

"Yes, quite a fiery spirit, that one."

"Is that admiration, Severus?"

"Of course not! Simply more of a challenge to break her." He replied smugly before noting the headmasters raised eyebrow and slightly exasperated expression. Severus sighed a loud before resting his back against the chair. Why did no one understand his sense of humour?

As if reading his mind Albus then replied.

"I indeed find your sense of humour quite entertaining, at times. However I ask you seriously, to give young Miss Laurel a chance."

"For what?"

"She is our new defence against the dark arts teacher," He then held up his hand warning the potions master to swallow whatever comment or remark he may have been on the verge of saying.

"She has proven herself in many ways over her years here at Hogwarts. She is quite intelligent and quite capable of meeting your wit. I ask simply that you leave her at peace if nothing else. She has accepted to remain out of your way should you need space and has been informed of all rules and regulations concerning her lessons."

"But she is blind, Albus! How can you expect her to up hold a rule if she cannot even catch the rule breaker?"

"Do not underestimate her, Severus."

\\\\

She could not believe that man! Well she had assumed it was a man by the deep rumble yet silky soft voice. If it had belonged to a female, well, she pitied her.

Claire finally found her room by the few seconds of warmth her wand gave off. She knew she had reached her destination because her wand always warmed up ever so slightly when she had arrived where she had instructed it to lead her. She lifted her hand and grasped the door knob turning it slightly enough to open the door. Wand at the ready she opened the door fully and walked inside.

She immediately walked the width of the room letting her wand guide her and instruct her on the different furniture and various objects within it. She found a nice sized desk near the back of the room with a comfortable chair, two small stools sat in front of her desk and with sudden understanding she came to realize this was her office. There were two more doors in the room, she walked quickly to the one closest to the desk and wrenched it open. Walking through the room, she touched the desks in perfect rows towards the front of the classroom.

"Wow, _my_ classroom." She whispered the words aloud, still not grasping the idea. She walked back into her office then headed straight towards the opposite door. She opened it and walked inside carefully. Walking ahead, she almost bumped into a very soft object. Her wand declared it to be her bed and she sank down gracefully. The bed swallowed her body immediately, it was so soft she couldn't help but lay a few extra minutes just to relax. She finally got up and walked over to her dresser. She casually brushed her fingers over the surface and ran through the various types of wood that could have been used.

Her father had taught her many things from simply the use of touch. She didn't need to know color nor the strange patterns on the wood she simply had to _feel._ After examining the wood and deciding upon pine, she quickly wandered around the rest of her rooms. She discovered a bathroom, a small living room, a tiny yet effective kitchen, her bedroom, of course, and a wide dining area. Oh, how she loved her rooms! They were small but cosy, she simply couldn't wait to decorate. No she couldn't decorate with colors but she assumed she could get the opinion of one of the teachers to help her with that.

She found her luggage and hauled it onto her bed. She struggled a little with the locks but quickly unfastened them to retrieve her books, all in brail of course. She stacked them on wide shelves that wound themselves on the walls all the way across the living area. _'All the more space for my books__' _She thought before quickly placing them in alphabetical order.

When she had finished unpacking she laid down to rest on her bed. Her peace was not to last long however, for a small letter had popped into the room causing her to jump quite high and fall off her bed. Grumbling, Claire felt around for her wand before touching soft parchment instead. She lifted the paper off her bed and felt the small bumps on the parchment indicating that at least someone had remembered her disability. She ran her fingers along the rough texture and lifted and eyebrow when she finished.

There was to be a small welcoming feast for her at seven o'clock in the evening of that afternoon. She quickly felt around for her wand and sighed dramatically when she couldn't find it. She simply assumed it fell off the bed with her and had rolled under it. '_Accio__ wand'_She was quite good at nonverbal spells even though, to cast the spell, one must visualize its effect; she could rely upon the vibrations of the spell as well as the feel of them to compensate for her lack of sight.

Her wand wised through the air and right into her hand. She quickly cast a spell on a piece of parchment, the time formed on it in brail and she quickly ran her fingers along it. She exhaled a breath of relief, it was only four o'clock. She still had around two hours and half to get ready. She vaguely registered that she had missed lunch while unpacking but unsurprisingly didn't feel too hungry.

She had brought her best robes with her. She wasn't sure what color they were but she knew they were expensive. The material felt light and airy on her fingertips yet it held a certain amount of thickness to it that indicated quality. She assumed the only down side to wearing these were, she wouldn't know if she was overdressed.

She quickly headed towards the bathroom and decided upon not taking a showing seeing as she had one that morning. She did however feel the need to fix her hair. She took it out of its bun and let it fall to her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it and cringed when her they caught on tiny knots. She grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair quickly. Once all the tangles were out, she touched it lightly and decided it was too curly. With a flick of her wand her hair went slightly straighter; it had a nice wave to it, but not overly bouncy with unwanted curls.

She then walked back out towards her closet. And felt around for her elegant robes before deciding she indeed needed to wear something underneath. A dress? A skirt? Maybe just pants. All too confusing. She snatched her robes from her closet and touched the tip of her wand to it. It copied the color and would direct her to the appropriate clothing to match.

God she loved her wand.

It led her towards her dresser and she selected the clothes her wand hand indicated. Laying them across her bed she felt each and every one of them before deciding on a nice silk shirt. She had picked her own shirt but it seemed her wand had a different idea for her lower half. She went to grab a skirt but it pulled her over to some muggle pants. By the feel of them, they were dress pants. She shrugged and quickly put them on. Walking over towards her shirt she lifted it over her head, stopped mid pull and realized with slight excitement she was going to meet Professor Snape. The way Dumbledore had described him was, well interesting. She couldn't deny she was curious if nothing else. Feared potions master of Hogwarts School of Witch craft and Wizardry.

Wow.

She couldn't wait.

Quickly tugging on her robes she headed towards her door before remembering her make-up. She didn't know exactly what she would do and in a moment of panic began frantically going over all the make-up tips she had heard her classmates gossip about during school. Then an idea struck her, if she could pick the color of her clothing with her wand, why not her make-up? She flipped her wand around in her hand and touched it once again to her robes. She then brought it up to her face and whispered the incantation she had used that morning when getting ready for work. She felt a small gust of wind slip over her eyelids, cheeks and lips. She hoped it worked, if it didn't, well, she would look like a clown wouldn't she. She was very apprehensive about meeting her former teachers. They hadn't seen her in eight years after all. She quickly headed for the door once again before hesitating. She felt like she was forgetting something and her wand didn't help by the way it kept vibrating as if trying to remind her. She turned around and walked back into the room. The vibrations lessened but continued till she walked towards the bathroom.

"What do you want?" She hissed at it before walking past the bathroom and towards the living room. It quickly vibrated fiercely again before she backed up a few paces to stand in front of the bathroom door.

She decided to go inside. Claire moved her wand over the different bottles on the counter before it completely stopped vibrating when she reached a certain one.

She lifted her hand over the bottle and picked it up. It was glass. Perfume, she chuckled quietly and lifted her wand to eyelevel.

"You think I smell bad?" Of course she got no response. She sighed and smelt the contents experimentally. It was actually a very nice smell. It was one of vanilla but with a certain hint of floral experimentation. It was actually quite pleasant, she doubted anyone would notice it; actually the smell was quite subtle, even her sensitive nose could barely pick it up. She shrugged and sprayed it over one wrist and then rubbed it over her other one. She was about to leave for the third time before deciding a little on her neck wouldn't hurt.

She finally decided to leave before checking the time. It was quarter to seven, at the age of twelve her teacher had taught her a spell that engraved the time on her wrist but subtly, so she could check it when she needed to. A little like a muggle watch but as if printed on her skin. Hurrying out of her rooms, she walked with what she hoped was confidence and not nerves. Her mind kept swirling around the idea of meeting Severus Snape that she had barely registered she was already at the entrance to the great hall.

She tentivley opened the door and walked in. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked inside, along the isle towards the center of the room where she could hear small talk and laughter. She kept walking ignoring the urge to run away and hide, her nerves kept jumping and the slightest noise made her recoil. But on she went, she decided she would present herself as well as she had when in school, with confidence she didn't feel.

The closer she got the more she heard, and then all chatter stopped and so did she. Why did they stop talking? Was there something wrong? She didn't know but kept walking till her wand signalled to stop. She heard a clatter of a fork and a couple gasps. Her first thoughts flickered to her make-up. _'The spell didn't work! Run you fool! Run!'_ Her mind screamed at her. She resisted the temptation to bit her lip and stubbornly lifted her quivering chin.

She suddenly felt a soft hand on her arm and flinched, to preoccupied with her thoughts to notice the sound of a chair scrapping the floor and a person approaching her.

"Welcome Claire!"

Albus, she thought reassured. He directed her towards a chair even when she protested. Before she could sit however, she was distracted by the sound of many chairs being dragged across the floor and many people advancing in her direction.

"Wonderful to see you dear!"

"Oh, my brightest student returned to Hogwarts! So nice to see you Miss Laurel."

"Absolutely stunning! Never seen anything so beautiful!"

"What a woman you've grown into!"

Suddenly the words were cut off, she guessed, by Albus. Instead of the overwhelming commotion and sentences, each teacher presented themselves with a handshake.

Albus spoke the name of each teacher as they offered her their hand.

"Minerva, Sinistra, Filius…" And thus the introductions went smoothly, but she couldn't help the small clench in her stomach as she awaited the one name she wished to hear.

Finally after many handshakes, she unconsciously whipped her hand off on her robes, and heard a low humourless chuckle. A deep and rich sound that sent shivers down her spin.

"I would just as well rinse my hands after such…introductions." The deep silky baritone infiltrated her ears and she recognised it immediately. The man from the hall way. She took in a sharp breath before her hand was grasped firmly and shook subtly and just as soon, released. Albus then spoke from somewhere behind her.

"Claire, meet Professor Severus Snape."


	4. The welcoming feast

Chapter 4

Severus had just finished his conversation with Albus and had been informed of a feast that was to take place that evening, a celebration for her arrival.

From what he heard of her she had a brilliant mind and dry sense of humour. He wondered briefly if it was anything like his and dismissed the idea immediately. No one understood his humour, that's why he had stopped making jokes.

He reflected upon the stunning beauty when he first saw her that morning. What a wonderful start, he grimaced. Not that it mattered he told himself firmly, why was he upset about that? It wasn't like he cared right? She was probably just full of herself a little like Miss Granger. At this he sneered, Miss little know-it-all. The two were probably one in the same, oh yes; he could just see it know. She would cuddle the little golden trio and shun the ones from his house. Typical, he snorted. Not that he particularly enjoyed the company of Draco, he still had to stand up for his slytherins.

If Minerva could cuddle her lions he could well, not cuddle, but raise his snakes as he saw fit. He had already tried to per sway most of them towards the light but he knew some were a lost cause. Well if Miss Laurel was going to hurt his snakes there was going to be hell to pay, he thought darkly.

He had spent most of the day, not surprisingly, in his labs. He was still working on the experimentation for Lord Voldemort. After several hours of non-stop work a small pop interrupted his practice.

"Yes?" he inquired mildly. He respected house-elves, even though he didn't like them much.

"Professor Snape, sir, Professor Dumbledore wishes for Tina to tell master that he is wanted in the great hall sir." The elf squeaked out in the most annoyingly high-pitched whine he had ever heard.

"All right," he sighed "tell him I'll be there soon enough." He tried to keep the venom from his voice but failed miserably. Wow. He really needed to cut that out or he'd be snarky forever. Well, the idea wasn't that appalling actually, he mused before deciding to pack up.

He walked gloomily into the great hall awaiting her highness to arrive. _'Royal pain in my arse more like it.'_ He thought amused, of course he didn't really mean it, after all, he had only met her that morning and they had quite got off on the wrong foot.

He really didn't understand why the hall was overly decorated, it's not like she could see them. He grumpily took a spot near the end of the table and watched as the staff entered all cheerily. _Disgusting_, he thought. He shot dark glares at any who tried to approach him, just daring them to ask how his summer had been. He knew they wouldn't after all. It's not like anyone cared how he was doing, well except Albus. And Minerva, he added grudgingly. He didn't really enjoy her small talk that much but he did feel a small amount of gratitude when she would sit next to him just for the sake of having him in her company.

As usual she came over to him and sat down next to him.

"So Severus, how has your summer been?"

"Usual" he replied with a dead tone.

"Oh do lighten up Severus!" She nudged him gently with her elbow and chuckled sweetly. "I've heard about a certain someone who is very eager to meet you."

"Positively riveting" he droned sarcastically.

She continued to smile at him. Unabashed by his comment, she continued.

"She is quite the lovely lady, why I remember her from years ago, quite the bright student you know, possibly brighter then Miss Granger."

"This is my 'I don't care face.'" He glanced at her briefly giving her a blank look of indifference, the only indication he was even listening was a small quirked eyebrow.

"How mature Severus." He rolled his eyes at that. Who cared if he was being immature? He certainly didn't and that was good enough. He picked up his fork and twirled it between his fingers.

"Well, in any case, Albus says she couldn't keep herself from asking questions about you, she seems genuinely interested." She said again giving him another nudge and a small wink.

"Minerva I could simply care less if---." His sentence was cut short as the sound of heels clicked against the tile floor. He lifted his eyes and almost, almost gapped like a sixteen year old. The room went quiet. And then there was an irritating noise of a fork clattering onto the table. Even more irritating, was the fact that it was he, who dropped the fork.

Gods she was beautiful. She stood there looking uncertain, her black hair cascading down her back in soft waves. Her face was brilliant, a beautiful dark blue liner framed her impossibly blue eyes and made them look a shade more delicate, long black eyelashes flitted against her rosy cheeks as she blinked repeatedly. Full lips completed the look quite impressively. Her robes were of a dark blue with swirls of silver and navy blue entwining together like mist. Underneath she wore a midnight blue silk shirt with black pants underneath. All in all, she looked positively stunning.

The most unnerving part was that she did not seem smug or even overly confident as he had thought. How could she? A small voice reminded him. She can't even see her own reflection and you think she's self absorbed? He suddenly felt a little ashamed of his assessment of Miss Laurel as well as his earlier treatment of her.

He glanced down the table and watched as the same opened mouthed expression crossed most of the teacher's faces, all with the exception of Albus. Of course Albus wouldn't gawk like a teenager. He had too much class for that, Severus thought amused. He watched as Albus pulled back out of his chair and approached her. His black gaze flickered back towards her face just quick enough to notice the panic fleeting across her face, he also noted it disappeared as soon as Albus placed a gentle hand on her arm and guided her towards the chair in front of him. Oh no, no, no, no. He was not going to sit next to _her. _Why? His inner voice demanded. What's wrong with her sitting in front of you? When he could not reply, he simple settled for the fact that she would unmistakably be uncomfortable around him, that maybe she should simply stay away from him as everyone else seemed to.

He watched as she put one delicate looking hand on the back of the chair before the mob gathered around her. He watched with un-interest as each teacher exclaimed over her beauty or brains. He watched as they all shook hands with her and walked back to their respective places. She was once again about to sit down before Albus waved him over. He grudgingly stood up and walked around the table towards her. That's when he noticed her wiping her hand on her robes and couldn't repress the low chuckle that came out of his mouth. He didn't actually find it funny but he guessed it was simply a reaction to her gesture.

"I would just as well rinse my hands after such…introductions." He replied before he could stop himself, he took a small glance over towards the headmaster and saw the small shake of his head. Oh well, that was his shot at being friendly. He quickly grabbed her hand and shook it briefly before letting go.

"Claire meet Professor Severus Snape" Albus cut in. He watched for her expression and only saw slight surprise.

"Thank you Severus, now I'm afraid I'm going to have to disinfect my hand as well." She replied smoothly and he found himself chuckling despite himself. What was wrong with him? This was the enemy! She had bumped into him, shown no respect and had the nerve to take up a position he had always wanted. He was not allowed to laugh with her, or even speak to her for that matter; his pride simply wouldn't allow it. He watched her reaction and noted the small shiver when he had laughed again. Oh hell with it, he decided. He was at least going to try to be polite.

She finally got the chance to sit down and she sank down gracefully. Severus regained his fork and placed in gently upon his plate he then turned to face her and noted her eyes had wondered somewhere beyond where he was seated. He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

"I've heard much about you Miss Laurel…"

"Call me Claire"

"All right then," he replied slowly "Claire…" the name rolled off his tongue strangely to him.

"And don't you forget it." She replied with a cocky grin that somehow suited her.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot this morning…" he replied with some effort, he never apologized unless he really thought it was needed. He noted the small flush creeping into her already rosy cheeks.

"I'm terribly sorry for overreacting; I guess it was just nerves." She replied softly with a small, kind smile.

He cursed the gods when he couldn't resist staring at her beautiful face; the soft smile did nothing to stop him from looking. He noticed she seemed uncomfortable again and decided to join in a mindless game of small talk. He really hated small talk. What was the point? It was useless to blabber on about something the other obviously wasn't even remotely interested in.

He opened his mouth to speak before he was cut off by Minerva.

"So dear girl, how have you been?"

"I'm alright." He noticed her response sounded a little forced and had to admire her acting skills.

"If you don't mind me asking, dear, I was wondering whether you had worked out a system with your wand, it seems to be helping you quite well."

"Oh yes, my wand is my life, without it I'd be pretty pathetic." She giggled lightly at that. But Minerva shook her head lightly.

"Of course you wouldn't dear, we've all seen you're quick reflexes and quick thinking without your wand, all of us except maybe Severus. Why don't you talk to him a little more about yourself?"

Her eyes snapped back to his and they both stared at each other for a moment, one seeing and the other not. She sighed lightly and he was happy to note she didn't appreciate small talk either.

"If you don't mind me asking," he started uncertainly "but, how exactly does your wand help you?"

"Well, in what sense do you mean Professor? When I walk, it vibrates in my hand, telling me I'm approaching someone or something. If it is a something, my wand will… well, it whispers what the object is in my ear but I hear it in my mind do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am, may I see it?"

Claire hesitantly lifted her wand up to him; he grabbed it slowly as if promising to return it as soon as possible. The fine piece of wood was light brown and, peculiar enough, it had silver, almost like vines, entwining from the base till it reached the tip. He had to admit it was quite a nice touch. He quickly handed it back and stared at his plate as it filled with food.

\\\\\

Oh did she ever feel like a moron! She was sitting across from him, and worse yet, he didn't seem as bad as everyone said he was. Perhaps a little black humour but nothing she couldn't match. He was being perfectly polite, and what was with his voice? It was driving her mad! It was soft as silk yet rich like leather. She loved comparing voices to material because that was how she was able to imagine it, from use of touch. After the odd questions from Professor McGo---Minerva, she reminded herself firmly, she just wanted to go back to bed. All the questions where exhausting. She had never felt so out of character before, normally she was jokes all around and smiles for all. She would be having fun and teasing people around her.

Right now, she felt miserable. She hadn't even the clue why. Maybe it was because of the sudden change in environment, maybe because she didn't feel as comfortable as she had thought she would when in the presence of her former teachers. She hoped she would cheer up quickly because she desperately needed to laugh. She waited for her wand to return and felt it slide into her palm. He hadn't said a word about it so she guessed he had nothing to criticise.

She was very good at judging characters. She noted the dullness to his voice when he joined in with the small talk. Good. If she had to suffer so did he. She noted that he avoided touching her when he had picked up her wand and gave it back, neither compliment nor constructive criticism. She wasn't finished with her evaluation of him but the scent of food invaded her senses and she quickly grabbed her wand and waved it over her plate. _Hmmm…_ she thought _not bad_, chicken, rise, potatoes, green vegetables and what was that? She hadn't the slightest idea what the last ingredient on her plate was.

She kept her wand hovered over that spot for a while.

"Is there a problem Claire?" A silky voice interrupted her thoughts. Hating the fact that her wand couldn't identify the unknown substance, she finally asked instead.

"Could you be so kind as to inform me of what this substance is so that I may eat it without fear of having an allergic reaction?"

Suddenly the whole hall erupted in muffled laughter. She could tell they were trying hard not to laugh aloud but her ears picked it up anyway.

"Miss Laurel," the voice said with a slightly disgusted tone, "That would be my hand."

Her mind froze and she felt small tremors racking her body. She couldn't help it, and she so desperately needed it, she started to laugh.

\\\\\\

Severus watched as her wand moved over every substance on her plate, also as she mouthed every food on it. He reached for the pepper, which was on her side of the table, when he froze. Her wand was pointed straight at it. What was she playing at? Was she going to curse his hand?

"Is there a problem Claire?" He had noticed the hall had gone quiet and the teachers where staring at them.

Suddenly she replied seemingly with trouble.

"Could you be so kind as to inform me of what this substance is so that I may eat it without fear of having an allergy reaction?" She said, her tone not giving anything away. He placed a scowl on his face before the hall erupted in muffled laughter. She looked uncertain and slightly panicked. He then said in the most repulsed voice he could, "Miss Laurel that would be my hand."

He saw her bow her head and her shoulders shake, and for a moment he thought she was crying. But then she lifted her head and laughed. It was a beautiful sound, nothing like school girls when they laughed, either cackling, snorting or wheezing. It was rich and light. It echoed off the walls and soon the teachers followed suit. The hall was filled with different kinds of laughter, except for his; he kept the scowl on his face and crossed his arms over his chest.

Minerva nudged him again

"Oh Severus have some fun!" He scowled at her not finding the situation funny at all.

"For your information Minerva, my body parts are not edible."

"Yes but body paint is!" Hooch said wiggling her eyebrow at him, he shuddered and stood up from the table. He had always called her Hooch because he never had the slightest interest in her calling her by her first name.

"Severus, where are you going?" A smiling Claire asked him.

"I've lost my appetite. Good day to you, and congratulations Miss Laurel." He replied slowly repressing another shudder.


	5. The list

Chapter 5

The next two weeks passed by without incident. Claire got used to her rooms and had packed all her belongings into her neat and organized rooms. She had only bumped into some of her teachers along her walk through the hall ways, and yet she hadn't heard much of Severus since the feast. Even though they had started out rough she still felt an irresistible desire to find out his darkest secrets. He was so alluring, he seemed full of mystery.

She had heard things about him. She had heard by accident a little about his home life. She was sad to note that he had been neglected as a child and that others had suspected abused as well. But on the bright side she had heard a little about his description. They said he had black eyes. Well, she didn't know color but she sure as hell knew black, he had black hair to and it reached to his shoulders. She had overheard a conversation between Minerva and Filius about his hair being greasy all the time. She wasn't quite sure what that would look like but she had a good idea what it felt like. She had also heard that he did not smile nor did he laugh. Now this, she thought, was impossible. There was not a single person she knew who didn't smile a little. She had heard many rumours about him. About how he didn't like being touched, or how he acted as repulsive as he could to discourage those who tried to converse with him. But unsurprisingly, she heard all about his classes. Ah yes, potions classes with professor Snape were said to be THE worst classes in the history of magic. Of course, this was an exaggeration she assumed. He couldn't be that bad.

It was the first day back to Hogwarts for all the magical children, all the first years were hipped up on sugar, their nerves on overdrive. As were the new defence against the dark arts teacher's. Claire paced the length of her rooms for the past fifteen minutes. What was she going to do? What was she going to say? Albus was going to present her to the entire school that evening. She didn't even know if she was supposed to say anything at all. Her wand started to vibrate and she ran her fingers along the indentations on her wrist. It was time to head towards the great hall. She took a deep breath and headed out the door. She crept towards the great hall and opened the big oak doors. She walked in casually and stopped just shy of the steps leading up to the staff table. She awaited some instruction as to where she was supposed to go and when none came she simply stood there.

"Not that your back isn't the most fascinating thing in the world… However, I would greatly appreciate it if you where to move so I may have a seat." came an irritated voice from behind. She turned slowly and reached out slightly till her fingers brushed his. She felt them disappear as soon as she touched them. Embarrassed by his reaction, she smiled slightly choking down a grimace, as an interesting idea presented itself.

"I was wondering if someone could direct me to where I am supposed to sit." She replied quietly. She heard him sigh dramatically before her elbow was grabbed, none to gently, and she was pulled up the steps and directed towards a small chair, where she guessed was next to Albus'. She knew it was near the center and also knew the one next to her was Albus' because she felt his twinkling eyes rest on her face. She turned her head to thank Severus for assisting her but somehow she had a feeling he had already left.

"Quite a mysterious fellow isn't he?" She said quietly

"Quite mysterious, indeed." came the low and grandfatherly voice of Albus Dumbledore to her left.

"Actually," he said as an afterthought "If I didn't know you so well, I would have thought that little display was on purpose."

"What are you implying Albus? That I would fake needing assistance for the sole purpose of seeking the attention of a man who would rather use my heart for a potions ingredient than a keepsake?" She replied as innocently as she could.

She heard him chuckle lightly and turn away from her as the doors to the great hall opened and over exited students filled the hall with jubilant laughter and pointless chatter. All students older then eleven sat at their respective tables and continued the chatter long delayed due to the summer vacations.

Clair absentmindedly stroked her fingers along the beautiful china laid in front of her. Her ears picked up on many conversations ranging from overactive hormones to family dramas.

She then overheard a couple conversing with usual sappy crap that came from obnoxious obsessions. It's not like she did anything of the sort when she was younger. She prized herself on her levelheadedness and good judgment. However, now in her twenties she often felt lonely and in need of company. Suddenly a familiar name caught her attention breaking her train of thought.

"Earth to Harry! Harry Potter, oi! I'm talking to you." A young gruff voice complained.

"Sorry Ron, who's the new teacher? I wonder what she's teaching." The boy who lived asked. Suddenly she felt self conscience and quickly folded her wandering hand into her lap.

"Wow, pretty ain't she?"

"Ron!" Said a high pitched voice obviously female, "Be more respectful, she's a teacher for crying out loud!"

"Calm down Hermione, don't get jealous now." A resounding slap echoed loudly in her ears as a low whine proceeded to escape the mouth of the one she assumed was named Ron.

He thought she was pretty? No teenager had ever thought she was pretty, they all ignored her. She yanked her thoughts away from self pity and concentrated on ignoring the teenage conversations she seemed so interested in.

All the chatter stopped abruptly as the giant oak doors opened once more to admit several pairs of shuffling footsteps. The fist years had arrived.

She listened intently to each name as it was presented to the school. Not that it really mattered if she remembered them; she had a list of the entire student body lying on her desk.

The more she concentrated the more her thoughts drifted off to the intriguing man at the other side of the table. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? It annoyed her greatly when she couldn't concentrate on one thing for long…

Wait.

Back up.

Hermione? Wasn't that the girl people continuously compared her to? Supposedly close to reaching the highest scores the school had ever seen? That didn't matter, she thought smugly for her marks were still the highest in the school, not that she would porously mark the girl unfairly for her own sake. Grades didn't seem so important when she left school and she would be happy to appoint the young women grades according to her knowledge and skill.

Claire listened until she heard the last student stumble to their respective house. She waited with a nauseating sensation for Albus to begin his annual pre-feast announcements. Sure enough, the chair to her left scrapped across the floor as the headmaster stood up to his full height and cleared his throat.

"Good evening children and welcome first years!" his voice boomed in the hall, impressing all those close enough to see his demanding demeanour as well as air of confidence and power. The hall fell silent immediately, hundreds of eyes directed towards the headmaster. At least she didn't feel the stares on herself. She had felt the few glances and curious looks some of the older children were sending her before the first years arrived but stubbornly ignored them.

"I trust you have all had an admirable summer break?" He questioned lightly. She listened to the standard rules and regulations and the various dates in which there would be visits to hogsmeade. He continued his announcements before her stomach suddenly felt heavy, the result of his pause and a not so discreet glance in her direction.

"As many of you have noticed, we have a new defence against the dark arts professor." He cleared his throat again and she felt his warm hand hook underneath her elbow and lift her gently to her feet.

"I would like you all to meet Professor Laurel." There was a loud ruckus. She blushed slightly as wolf whistles and cat calls were launched her way. A snort caused her to shift her eyes in the direction she knew Severus sat glaring at all and yet, she could tell, never once glancing in her direction. Rage swept away her anxiety and she filled her lungs with hair ready for a speech.

"Good evening to all emotional, hormone raging, angst filled teens." She started, her small jest earning her a couple of chuckles.

"I am indeed your newest teacher here at Hogwarts, be warned any rule breaking shall have severe punishments such as having your brains extracted and used for one of Professor Snapes newest potions ingredient or spending the remainder of your life as an herb experiment for professor Sprout. I have no issue in using your body parts for extensive research that will aide my co-workers. You can always resort to bribery, if you choose to use this method of appeasing me, I prefer chocolate. Thank you."

Once most students had realised that there professor was making a joke and not actually planning on using their body parts for experiments, they soon started to enjoy her speech and laughed along with most of the teachers.

Quite pleased with herself, Claire sat down carefully. She heard chuckles from her co-workers and a small snort of disapproval from Severus. Those were the moments she wished she could see. She would have loved to see his expression. Claire sighed contentedly as Albus once again took the stand and reported last minute details of the year before he clapped his hands and their plates filled with food.

Everything smelt delicious, she didn't bother detecting what she was eating, and instead, she simply picked up her fork and began to eat. The room filled with pleasant chatter and silent laughter. This night wasn't so bad she thought distractedly. She strained her ears a little and heard Severus' velvety voice; it sent butterflies swirling in her stomach. She kept her attention focused on his musical voice that trapped her attention and had no intention of giving it back. She let it fill her senses and tried hard to picture that voice whispering in her ear…

Whoa! Hold up!

She was getting way ahead of herself, ok his voice was incredibly alluring, so what? It wasn't like she admired anything else about him right? Ok so maybe he was an intriguing character she conceded. And…intelligent, snarky yes, but… well, funny. Ok fine, he was _interesting_. That's it, that's all.

She heard him chuckle dryly and the low rumble sent the same shivers down her spine.

FINE!

She was attracted to the damn man! She admitted it! Gods this was exhausting. She rubbed her temples when a headache threatened to take over.

When the feast was over and the students departed towards their common room. Claire stood up and walked in front of the staff table.

"Goodnight everyone and thank you Albus," she turned towards him, "for allowing me the _pleasure_ of a nerve racking and nauseating speech." Her only answer was a low chuckle from the headmaster and many murmured "Goodnights" from her fellow teachers.

She walked slowly from the hall fully intending on getting a good night sleep when a sudden idea a cured to her. She dashed into her rooms and picked up a quill. She loved being organized therefore she decided to make a list. It was a list of things to do before the school year would end.

1. Be a good teacher

2. Be polite to all staff

3. Befriend most students

4. Force Severus to notice her

5. Force Severus to smile

6. Make Severus laugh

7. Show Severus that women can kick arse

8. Learn all his secrets

9. Befriend him

10. Take him on a date

She wrote every one with tidy and delicate writing. Now this, she thought smugly was a good list. She was determined to accomplish everything on her list before the year ended. She wasn't worried that he might turn her down. She was determined to show him a good time that was all…right? It's not as if she cared, really. She just enjoyed a challenge that was all.


	6. The first class of the year

Chapter 6

September seventh. The students started their first classes of the year. Exciting right? That's what she tried to tell herself. It was twelve o-one in the morning and she tossed and turned trying to regain sleep. It was her first class in exactly nine hours and twenty nine minutes, she had until then to hyperventilate and feel gut wrenching nervousness. She took a deep breath and rolled over for the twentieth time that night the thoughts of her first class swimming in her head.

Severus sat awake in his bed, his mind was not filled with bothersome students and babbling teachers, his mind wandered to the woman he couldn't stop thinking about. Her speech had left him pondering her sanity but decided after awhile that it was a shame she had been joking about the brain experimentation.

He had watched her closely and subconsciously snorted when she stood to deliver her speech. He hadn't actually meant to. He supposed it was a reflex and hoped she hadn't noticed. Of course luck was not on his side and she had looked at him sharply. He supposed she had been trying to make a point when she started her ridiculous chatter.

He opened his eyes a crack and sighed. He was not going to get any sleep that night. The image of her eyes came into play as he tried to shut off his senses. Sapphire eyes stared at him, not seeing him. He didn't mind, he didn't think she would enjoy the sight anyway. Not that he cared of course, she was obnoxious and a know-it-all like Ms Granger. His eyes started getting heavy, he yawned in triumph as the world of dreams slowly took over his overstressed mind… Her hair, tangled in curls, swept down in her eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed them aside. He noticed she stared back at him. But something was different about her stare, it was alive. She started to grimace and turn away.

"Of all the sights I had to see, why was it you?" She shook her head disgusted and turned away. His arm stretched out farther and he tried to reach for her, but she disappeared.

Suddenly he awoke with a start. It was quite a disturbing dream, he had to admit. No one had ever actually commented on his face in that manner but he was sure they thought along the same lines. He had also over heard some students declaring about his less than handsome features. He didn't mind, he knew he wasn't much of a sight and never would be. His overly large nose and thin lips constantly pursed or permanently placed into a scowl. His eyes, onyx coloured were hard as ice. He looked quite unapproachable as he had stress lines etched into his harsh features. And his skin color. He didn't need every school girl in the castle shaking their heads or pursing their lips to know his color left little to be desired.

For an unknown reason, which frustrated him greatly, he couldn't understand why the damned girl's opinion mattered so much to him. He snarled and groaned as his aching muscles protested the manner of sleep he had adopted. His eyes travelled the length of his private rooms and rested upon his outstretched arm, still in the air imitating the way he reached for her in his dream. He slowly let it fall to his side and turned his head to the clock beside him. Well, he had actually slept for five hours.

This was new to him; Severus could never have a peaceful sleep for more than two hours, let alone five. Well, he wouldn't say the dream was peaceful as he stared up at the dark ceiling. He decided he wouldn't get anymore sleep so he sat up and stretched his long arms till his shoulders ached. He curled and uncurled his fingertips as he arched his back, cracking a few bones in it. He ran his long elegant fingers through his long black hair and decided that a bath was in order.

He walked the length of his rooms and opened the door to his bathroom. He quite liked the design of it. It had black square tile on the walls as well as the floor but with small white diamond shaped tiles connecting the black ones. His faucets were brass with a flawless white sink. The bath tub was quite the same; he quickly striped his body of his night ware and turned on the water to an almost scolding temperature. He shivered as his skin was exposed to the chilly dungeons. He awaited the water to reach high enough before he gently slipped in.

The water burned his skin but it temporarily left a small sting enough to distract his thoughts from the new defence against the dark arts teacher. What was with him? His thoughts never lingered on one person alone. Unless it was the dark lord, and even then he only thought about the sadistic bastard when he wondered which sick ass-kissing comment or greeting was expected of him next. Ha. He couldn't wait to tell the shit for brains that the evil side really didn't take to his fancy.

He lifted his hand up to his face, and feeling childish, plugged his nose before dunking his head under the water. He quickly broke the surface and coughed raggedly. He had issues with water. He glared menacingly at the clear liquid surrounding him. He quickly realized how stupid he must look, glaring at water. Merlin he was such an idiot. He quickly cleaned himself and scrambled out of the water now a temperature more fit for human beings.

With a flick of his wand he dried himself off and unplugged the tub before turning his head to face himself in the mirror. He was right of course, when was he wrong? He didn't look at all the typical wizard, he watched as his wet hair stuck to his face and small drops of water rolled down his cheeks. He grimaced at his reflection and turned his attention to the draining water. Looking around cautiously he glared at it once more before the last drop seeped through the drain at the bottom. He smirked in satisfaction as he imagined the water had been scurrying down the drain, trying to find relief from the potions masters' heavy glare. He glanced at his clock; he had only an hour or so before breakfast in the Great Hall started.

Thus, he walked over, completely naked to his wardrobe and opened it, squeaking the hinges in the process. He gazed at his normal black attire and picked one up, lying it down on his king sized bed. Today was the first day of another irritating and stressful year of students, children of all ages who were too incompetent to open a book to the correct page. Severus indulged himself by letting out a long and very dramatic sigh before getting dressed and taking care of his normal morning routine.

Finished with his morning cycle, Severus quickly walked towards his door with twenty minutes to spare before breakfast. He reached out a pale hand to open the door before a loud rap from the other side startled him slightly. How irritating. He turned the knob and sneered at the intruder. Minerva stood on the other side of the door a raised eyebrow on her rather bored face.

"There is no need to scowl Severus, my name isn't Sirius Black." Ouch, that hit a nerve.

"Minerva, I suggest that if you do not wish to be privy to my more choleric moods you will keep from entering my quarters and refrain from making inane comments such as that." He allowed his eyes to turn into ice and his voice to snap. He pursed his lips and awaited her reply. To his utter displeasure, she simply smiled coolly at him.

"Oh but Severus, your cheerful and exuberant chambers reflect your personality so well, I couldn't resist the temptation to come down and be graced with your smiling face." Her lip curled up into a sly smile as she awaited his reaction. She loved teasing him.

He simply raised a disbelieving eyebrow and looked rather bored.

"Why am I subjected to your presence Minerva? Please enlighten me because I tire of your mockery." The elder woman sighed and smiled at him.

"Oh come now Severus, you know I quite enjoy your company but yes, there is a matter I wish to discuss with you."

"Please continue." He encouraged dully. Like he actually cared, he had better things to do then chatter aimlessly with his colleagues. To his annoyance she moved to the side and allowed him to pass then signalled for him to walk beside her. Together, they walked towards the Great Hall in silence till Minerva broke the ice.

"Severus," She began a slight quip to her voice. "you know what I am about to ask and although I know you will not meet these…request. I feel I must ask anyway."

Before she could continue Severus held up his hand and stopped walking, his billowing robes fluttering to a stop behind him. "Minerva. No, I will not let up on your Gryffindors because I do not 'let up' on any house or any student. They need discipline and they need a strict professor to show them that the world will not tolerate laziness or a disrespectful attitude. Those dunderheaded children will never learn if you cuddle them and shield them from the world. If you wish to continue that treatment with those in your care or classroom then be my guest." He finished with a strong note and continued walking, ignoring the sceptical look on the older woman's face.

She quickly caught up to him and huffed a sigh preparing for the next topic. A silly grin spread across her normally strict visage as she broached her next argument.

"Severus…"

"Yes?" he inquired a little miffed. He had noticed the grin spreading across her face and felt his gut twist. He had never seen that look on her before and he definitely didn't want to find out. She suddenly gripped very lightly at his sleeve and pulled him to a stop. His lip curled at being touched but he let the contact slide without an argument.

"What is it Minerva?" he said, exasperated.

"I have a favour to ask of you Severus." He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. If only she would spit it out already. He didn't have time for this, his mood was turning foul. He needed coffee and bad. He growled slightly at her hesitation and she raised an eyebrow at the noise.

"Well?" he asked annoyed. She smiled a little, it was too much fun.

"Severus, seeing as your classroom is closest, I was wondering if you could drop by and make sure Miss Laurel is faring well on her first day."

"What?" he let the word hang in the air before continuing. "I'm sorry to inform you Minerva but I am not a babysitter for our newest staff member. If Albus picked her out of the lot, she ought to be able to handle a couple of idiotic children." He snarled dangerously. He did NOT need an annoying female disturbing his time. If she wasn't capable of control, she shouldn't be there.

Minerva was not surprised by his little outburst. Actually she had expected it. And with another small smile she added the second part to her request.

"I would simply like to add that her first class of the morning will be with fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins." She raised an eyebrow expectantly as her words sank in.

Ouch. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were a handful themselves but combined was a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the golden trio and Malfoys henchmen in the mix. Oi, things were definitely going the wrong way for the new professor. He mulled it over before before letting out and irate sigh and turning towards the expectant woman.

"Fine." He spit through clenched teeth. "But only for a moment. I have first year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to attend to this morning, I do not wish to place another order of cauldrons OR rare ingredients." He glared at her while she patted his arm and smiled sweetly at him.

She had caught Claire looking in his direction most of the welcoming feast and saw the curiosity in her eyes. The girl may not know it yet but Minerva suspected a developing admiration if not crush for her sombre co-worker. Even though she was certain Severus would beat Claire with her own limbs if he ever found out, she had a feeling he would warm up to the idea of being admired if, dare she say it, loved.

Severus had quickly brushed her hand off his arm and nodded distractedly when she thanked him. He had a feeling she knew something he didn't. Well, not for long, no one could keep a secret from him. He smirked slightly at the thought and continued his intimidating stalk before he reached the double oak doors of the Great Hall. He pushed them open with Minerva by his side and walked in menacingly. Children on either side of him quickly ducked their heads in response to his dark glare. His eyes swept over the crowd and landed on Harry Potter himself. Curious green eyes met his and he looked away. He hated seeing those eyes. Why couldn't they have been hazel or blue? He hated the reminder of Lily.

With a slight click of her heals, Minerva followed greeting students and nodding her head in acknowledgment when they responded. Severus scowled at her and quickened his pace reaching the high table and taking the first available seat only intent on finding dark strong coffee. Once seated, he carefully picked up his mug and gulped down the first few mouth full's. It burnt his throat but Merlin it was satisfying.

Once his caffeine supply had been replenished he finally scanned the area he had sat in. looking to his left he saw an empty seat. Good, no one had sat beside him since he had entered. He then turned his glance to the left and he was met with deep blue eyes staring back at him.

"Good morning Severus, may I have the honey please?" Damn. He had been hoping to ignore her till he had to check on her later. He grunted in reply and handed her the small jar of honey and looked at her. He noticed Clai—Miss Laurel had her hair tied up into a lose bun on her head and her face seemed…Whoa! Why did he care again? He really needed to stop that. He looked down quickly and returned his attention to the meal.

She had caught him staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her face. But then noticed the shift in his posture and realized he must have returned to his meal. She smiled slightly and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. She felt a warm ball create itself in her stomach and she felt butterflies fluttering, threatening to fly out her mouth. Oh my, she was going to have some fun with this one. She moved her fingers over, ever so slightly towards her fork but 'accidently' brushed his knuckles. His reaction was same as before, he withdrew his hand quickly and he moved slightly more to the opposite side of her.

"Sorry" she murmured. Definitely not being sorry at all. She wasn't disappointed by his reaction because she knew it was coming. She had expected it; after all, she was only testing the waters with him. Suddenly she wondered why he reacted so. She knew from gossip that he didn't enjoy being in any physical contact with people but she wondered what was behind that. As a very private person she imagined he would shy away from contact but he seemed to resent even the smallest of touches. Her brow creased and she frowned down at her plate.

"Claire, my dear, are you alright?" a brisk voice asked in concern.

Claire turned her head to her left and addressed the voice.

"Yes I'm fine Minerva, thank you for asking. I'm just a little nervous about my first class." She answered, not _quite_ lying.

………

Claire was waiting in her office for her students to show up. She was extremely nervous about her class but she was fairly certain her students were going to be well educated and well entertained. She intended on started her fifth year class with a bang. They were old enough to retaliate appropriately and deal with the consequences of their actions.

Soon enough she heard exited chatter through the door to her classroom. Students were taking their seats and throwing their Defence Against the Dark Arts text books against their desks. Once she was sure every student arrived she inhaled deeply before executing her plan. Let the fun begin.

Harry, Ron and Hermione raced down a corridor not too far off from the one that split towards the dungeons so as not to be late for their first class.

"We're going to be late!" Hermione shrieked unnecessarily as they approached the large wooden door.

"We wouldn't be late if you could gather your books quicker! Who carries their next two subjects with them to their first class anyway?" Ron retorted quickly losing patience with his best friend.

"People who are organized for God sake Ron! It wasn't my fault anyway! If you stop shovelling more food into your trap then necessary we would be on time!" Hermione spat.

Harry rolled his eyes and shushed his friends before opening the door to their Defence class. He looked around and groaned. Gryffindor and Slytherin paring… great. He walked past the people already seated towards somewhere near the back of the classroom. He soon found three seats and threw his books down. Still bickering, Ron and Hermione soon followed and sat down on either side of him.

Suddenly there was a loud bang coming from a door opposite to the entrance. Many people stopped talking.

"I think that's Miss Laurel's office, I wonder what she's doing…" Hermione declared after several minutes of silence. Then suddenly there was another bang, but louder. Many girls squealed and Neville gripped his seat till his knuckles turned white. Some students started to stand before friends or house mates pulled them back into their seats. The whispers started again but with new vigour. Many students glanced nervously towards the office door and continued to chatter.

Harry grabbed his wand out of his pocket and his friends followed suit. It seemed pretty silly, drawing their wands in a classroom where it was obviously safe. But Harry couldn't shake of the feeling that something dangerous was coming.

"Harry? Remember how all the Defence teachers have tried to kill you so far? Do you think this one's crazy to?" Ron whispered.

"I'm not sure" Harry grumbled. He really hated being a target.

Suddenly many students noticed the Gryffindors drawn wands and took out their own. Even some Slytherins took them out and kept them close. The banging's on the office door grew more frequent and increased in volume. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Malfoy stand up and draw his own wand, he looked over at Harry and gave him a wicked grin. He would bet anything that Malfoy had reached the same conclusion as Ron and that he hoped the Defence teacher was going to try and do him in. Well he wouldn't go without a fight.

Harry lifted his wand and pointed it at the office door. He watched, fascinated as many Gryffindors followed his lead and slowly, the Slytherins did the same. The entire classroom was silent expect for the constant banging. And then suddenly without warning the office door opened and smashed into the stone wall, vibrating from the contact. Black shadows started to climb their way out of the office and red eyes met every pair in the classroom. The girls shrieked and Harry reacted instinctively he shot out the first spell that came to mind. He watched as the jet of light streamed past the classroom and connected with the shadow. Then suddenly all wands were once again pointing at the office door and different coloured jets shot into the air and collided with the dark figure.

A ferocious growl suddenly racked the whole classroom and many more girls screamed, terrified. Ron and Hermione, by his side, continued to throw spell after spell at the shadow. The Slytherins howled and aimed their wands at the red eyes staring back at them. The room was filled with screams, light and shouts. Jets were flying towards the office door in a flurry, some meant for malice and others only meant to disarm.

Then as soon as it started it was over. The room went black and the growls disappeared. The shrieks from the students still suspended in air as well as many powerful spells still slicing through the room. And then it was quiet. The lights went back on and there was no more shadow. No more red eyes or growls. The girls no longer screamed and the spells had stopped flying. In the middle of the classroom stood a young woman, she seemed to scan the classroom and she lifted her hands in greeting. She opened her mouth, and then smiled; she beamed up at them and then spoke.

"Good morning children. I am Professor Laurel."


	7. A new found respect

Chapter 7

The class gaped at their new Defence teacher. Most students were looking at her as if she had grown an extra head and others seemed to have forgotten their near death experience as soon as they saw the young and beautiful professor. Ron, of course, seemed to drop in that category. He gazed at his professor with a slightly open mouth and an expression opposite to horror like most his classmates. Hermione lifted her hand and tapped him lightly off the head; she was in too much shock to muster the strength to whack him properly. Harry was looking at Claire with shock before it quickly dissolved into comprehension; he sat back down with a small smile on his face.

"Harry? What's up with you?" Hermione asked a little color returning to her cheeks.

"It's ok 'Mione, sit down." Harry said quietly awaiting his teacher to start roll call or any such normalities he was sure weren't going to be so normal in this class. Ron and Hermione slowly sat down beside him and put their wands away. They were looking at Harry sceptically before they pulled out their text books and started another round of bickering.

"Ron, your stuff is on my side of the desk…"

"So?"

"So, they're in my way! I need to arrange my quills there." Hermione exclaimed as if teaching a one year old the concept of shapes and colors.

Harry tuned them out as he examined Professor Laurel, she was looking at the class in interest, but then he remembered her disability. How was she going to teach when she was blind? Harry had a feeling this class, by far, was going to be the most interesting yet…

Clair listened to the exclamations of horror when she revealed herself and the students finally realized they weren't in any danger. She heard many mutterings and curses but many rude comments that made her cheeks flame. Finally, when most students had calmed down enough to take their seats she cleared her throat.

"It's nice to see you all so responsive! Assessing the problem at hand with almost no hesitation." She waited for her words to sink in before awaiting the long stream of questions and hopefully some students who would eventually figure out that, no, they had never been in danger. She wasn't disappointed.

"What was all that about? Are you trying to kill us already?" a rather rude and smug voice said from an area near the back of the class. Many students murmured their agreements and awaited her answer.

"Absolutely not Mr. Malfoy, if you had an ounce of problem solving skills you would have already understood that." She answered with a small trace of triumph in her voice. She had heard his voice in the Great Hall during breakfast and associated it with the name many people addressed him as. She noticed the class had gone silent on the end she had deemed as the Slytherin half. When she had pointed her wand at the desks it had indicated that the Gryffindors and Slytherins had separated themselves as far as possible in the big classroom. Well, that would never do. She decided a change of desks was in order, like it or not.

So immersed in her plans for the houses, Claire hadn't noticed the rude and impertinent comments coming out of the Slytherins mouth.

"Ten points from Slytherin, for using inappropriate language Mr. Malfoy." Snickers could be heard from the Gryffindor side and she turned her head quickly.

"Any laughing or taunting of any other student will be cause for loss of house points and detention with Filch." Other than favouritism, there was one thing she couldn't stand and it was bullying.

"Never in this classroom will there be any form of taunting or ridicule. Every person will be treated with respect. If you show me respect I will return the favour, I expect the same consideration among yourselves."

The room went silent quickly and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She imagined fifth years and older were going to be fun. She walked the length of the room and picked up a paper that had popped into the room only a few minutes before she had confronted the Malfoy brat.

She noticed it was a roll call paper and quickly brushed her fingertips over the bumpy surface.

"Euan Abercrombie" She sensed an arm raise in the air but it quickly descended and was replaced with a quiet "Here Ma'am"

"Mr. Abercrombie, it is alright with me if you simply lift your hand rather than speak, I may be blind but I am not oblivious to everything in the room." Clair nodded absently when the student acknowledged her statement.

"Lavender Brown"

"Here Ma'am" After she named most the class she came across Harry Potter. She noticed the classroom went quiet when they knew who was coming next. She knew what they expected but she simply continued calling names.

"Harry Potter"

"Here Ma'am" She nodded and continued down the list. She memorized every voice hoping she could remember them all. She didn't have a problem remembering names when she was in school herself but then she didn't have to remember each and every name of students who came through Hogwarts' doors.

She finished the list quickly and readied herself for what was to come.

"Are there any questions so far?"

An outburst of noise met her ears and she winced slightly, many furious and angry questions racked the air, others were quieter and some in hysterics. She held up her hand for silence and waited till every person quietened.

"Raise your hands please."

Many hands rose into the air and she pinpointed each person with the help of her wand.

"Yes Mr. Longbottom?"

"W-what was the attack all about?" The boy stammered slightly. She was going to fix that by the end of the year.

"Would anyone care to answer that question?" She asked almost certain there was one who could.

She turned her head towards Harry Potter expectantly, seeing as he was the only person in the class who had not raised their hand she had assumed he knew the answer. When the boy didn't volunteer and all the raised hands fell back down, she prodded a little further.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Looks like another teacher who's going to call on Harry all the time" whispered the boy she now knew as Ronald Weasley. She sensed Harry shift in his chair before opening his mouth to speak.

"You were testing our senses, reflexes and strength as a group." The boy answered shortly.

Claire was mildly impressed, that had been exactly what she had done.

"Very good Mr. Potter, Ten points to Gryffindor." Clair awarded. She heard many whoops of joy from the left side of the class and hisses from the right.

She frowned a little towards the Slytherins but let it pass.

"Yes class that is exactly what happened. Most of you, without a doubt, have already come to the conclusion that, no, you had not been in any danger from the start, I simply wanted to know where my starting point lay. You all have good reflexes but I noticed many spells I would rather not have in this class until later on during the year." She glanced at Malfoy before returning her attention to the class.

"Your timing needs work and your reflexes, although good, can be improved. In this class, you will learn to dance when you duel, deflect and create spells you have never heard of and improve upon the skills you already possess. I will take any suggestion you may offer to me. I will take every persons opinion to heart and I shall do my best to ensure you all learn how defend yourselves while still having fun. If you ever have a problem you can come see me and if you do not like my teaching skills, please feel free to express yourself as long as it's respectful. These are all promises I'm going to make you for the year." She smiled lightly when many eager students shifted in their seats. "You will do written work as well, never fear."

Many low groans could be heard throughout the class but she smiled instead of reprimanding them. She heard only one exited squeak and she turned her wand in the direction of Hermione Granger. She inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly, she didn't know much about the girl but if she was anything like herself then she hoped they would get along. Actually, she hoped to get along with ALL her students. Even the smuggest of Slytherins she intended to befriend.

"All right, the first thing I believe that needs to be done in this class is some seating arrangements."

Many intakes of breath could be heard on both sides of the class. Was she actually going to mix Slytherin and Gryffindor?

After several minutes, every Gryffindor was between a Slytherin. There was no way anybody would be talking in her class.

"Ok class, I want to begin our year a little on the action side," Many exited exclamations were herd among the students. "Today I want to start you all off on the basics of attacking and defending."

"I would like you all to stand up." The shuffling of many chairs was heard as student's scrambled to their feet in anticipation. She quickly separated the class into two groups mixed of both houses. She claimed one to be 'Attack' and the other 'Defence'. She had each group sit in a circle at either end of the class and discuss what they knew about their subject.

Many shouts and arguments later, she ended their discussions and made them face the opposing group.

"Now, pick a captain to represent your group." After the selections were made, she noticed with a groan that Harry and Draco had both been picked as captain. Oh well, she had a class to teach and so she turned to her class and directed the captains to meet in the middle and shake hands.

She could faintly hear teeth grinding as Harry and Draco shook hands. She quietly placed a transparent barrier over the two groups and addressed the two captains.

"From what your teams have discussed, I want you to face each other, Mr. Potter as defence and Mr. Malfoy as attack, to duel. Mr. Potter, under no circumstances will you attack, you will defend only, is that clear?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"And, unless Mr. Potter disobeys this order, Mr. Malfoy, there is no reason for you to defend. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am" he said a little disrespectfully but she paid him no mind.

"Very well, you may begin."

As soon as the words left her mouth Draco launched a strong hex. Harry sidestepped just in time, the hex missing him by inches. Squeals from the Gryffindor girls caused the Slytherins to snort and cheer when Harry almost got hit.

"Defend Mr. Potter don't dodge."

She sensed the young man grip his wand tighter and his jaw set in determination. Draco than unleashed a series of hexes all more powerful than Clair would have preferred. Harry lifted his wand and barely managed to deflect all of them. The force of the spells forced him back towards his group, many students jumped up to help before they hit the invisible barrier between them and the Boy-Who-Lived. The on slaughter continued for awhile before both students were panting. She noticed Draco's spells were very powerful but he managed his agility poorly. His movements were sluggish and predictable. He exaggerated his wand waving and shouted his spells. Not very subtle, she thought while examining the continued duelling. Harry on the other hand was also sluggish with his movements and reacted almost too late before managing to deflect them. She was slightly impressed with his determination and knowledge of defence but both of them needed work.

"Enough" she called to the two boys. They both ceased their movements and glared at one another. Malfoy, she could tell, was smirking. Harry on the other hand, she noticed was simply content with glaring. She could feel the chill settle in as the possibility of the two meeting in that very situation later in their years seemed almost too likely. To dispel the negative thoughts, she quickly addressed the class once more.

"Are there any comments on your classmate's performances?"

Many students quickly settled on comments such as "they did okay", "They sucked" or "I could do better."

Well, she would be the judge of whether they did any better.

"Each group line up facing the other please," the two groups quickly lined up facing the other. Defence against Attack. "The person in front of you is your sparring partner. You will not attack any other student other than the one you are facing and you will not defend any other student other than yourself. Is that clear?"

A chorus of "Yes Ma'am" echoed throughout the room. She quickly replaced the invisible barrier but in between each pair so that potentially harmful spells wouldn't hit other students. They wouldn't have to acknowledge her rules because she was reinforcing them without their knowledge.

"Ready? Begin!" And the fireworks started.

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Severus had a headache already. He detested Hufflepuffs almost as much as Gryffindors, they were clumsy and incompetent. Oh, how he hated children.

"Mister Summers, would you care to _pay attention_?" He snapped, the first year Ravenclaw jumped and stared at the potions master like he was about to wet himself at any second. He had been teaching the idiot first years the properties of a bezoar when he caught the little twit writing a note to his friend. He glared at the student till he was sure the first year was visibly quaking with fear. Fear was good, fear was an emotion he liked when faced with his students.

They wouldn't dare disrespect him, especially not first years. He would bet anything they would disrespect Miss Laurel though. He smirked slightly at that. Maybe he would find her in a wreck when he dropped by to make sure the students hadn't completely destroyed her. After all she was with fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor. If he were alone he might have let out a low whistle, those classes weren't normally put together due to their resentful natures. Albus only placed those classes with him because Severus was quite capable of handling them, but from past experiences, other teachers had given up trying to get them to truce and had asked that the classes never be mixed. It was almost time for his 'check up' he looked around at the class and noticed they were staring at him. He must have trailed off in the middle of his sentence. He cursed himself inwardly for his lack of concentration that morning and quickly picked up where he left off.

"Miss Crewitt, if you so much as think of touching those ingredients I will make it my duty and pleasure to skin you alive and give the remains off your useless body to an animal in the forbidden forest." He whispered threateningly, venom laced with every word. The young Hufflepuff girl squeaked and sat up straighter then humanly possible, her back arching painfully as she tried to gain space between her and the potions master only inches from her face. He turned his eyes to the side and noticed a crumpled piece of paper that had fallen from her hand onto her desk.

He unravelled it and his eyes travelled over the poorly drawn picture of himself, his face on a bats body to be precise. The words 'Bat from Hell' were scribbled on the bottom. He groaned inwardly, great, a new name for the students to call him. He slowly turned his head to face the girl whose face had begun to lose its color. He could only imagine how threatening he looked; he congratulated himself silently for being capable of the 'deadliest glare known to wizard kind' as Albus had put it one evening.

He was about to deliver a sarcastic and witty remark about her having to serve detention with Filch, 'The Ogre-that-got-hit-one-too-many-times-with-the-ugly-stick from Hell' when the small bell on his desk rang, an indicator of his babysitting job he needed to attend to.

"Detention with Filch this evening at eight pm Miss Crewitt, do not be late for I shall know. I shall return in a moment, if any ingredients are missing, if there is any disturbance in my class during my absence, you shall all be punished severely. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?" He asked with as much promise of pain in his voice that he was capable of.

"Y-y-yes S-s-sir" The class chanted quietly. He then swept out of the classroom in a flurry of robes.

His shoes clicked as he stalked through the castle, intent on finding the Defence classroom and leaving as soon as he found the teacher in a wreck due to the houses she was meant to teach.

As he approached the classroom, he heard shouts and explosions. No matter how prepared he was to find the place in a disaster, he was still shocked that Miss Laurel had not even been able to break up a fight before it escalated to this level. He brandished his wand, ready to intervene, and opened the door. Spells were flying everywhere but seemed to disappear once they reached a certain point or angle. Students were duelling all over, Severus' rage quickly boiled to a dangerous point. Where was she? Why wasn't she even bothering to _try_ and break up the fights?

He spied Malfoy and Potter duelling fiercely but odd enough, Potter wasn't fighting back, he was only defending. He watched as Weasley fought against Crab but why wasn't his Slytherin attacking? Just like Potter, he was simply defending. He finally spied Miss Laurel near the back of the room, hidden half in darkness. If one didn't know any better, they would assume she was observing the fight. Severus was ready to stalk right over to her and shake some common sense into the women before he decided to break up some of the fights along the way. He aimed his wand at the pair closest to him and cast a separating charm. To his aggravation, his spell like all the others disappeared before getting close to the pair. He fired at another pair but nothing happened. So the witch had put a charm, enclosing each pair so other students wouldn't get hurt. But why? What was she playing at? Suddenly his anger got the better of him, if his spells couldn't make them stop, his presence sure as hell could.

"ENOUGH!" he hissed loud enough for every person to hear. Every pair of eyes turned in his direction. The spells stopped and the voices dimmed till they to, ceased. Every wand was lowered and the students stared at him in astonishment.

"Miss Laurel," he whispered threateningly, "would you be so kind as to explain WHAT exactly is going on in this classroom?" He glared his fiercest glare at her, he knew she couldn't see it but it was more for the students to view than for her.

"Professor Snape, what a nice surprise, it is wonderful to see you crashing my lesson. As much as I am sure the students here enjoy your company as much as I, I'm going to have to ask if we can have this conversation in the hallway." She was a little irritated that he had just waltzed in and ordered HER students to stop what SHE had told them to do. Was this her classroom or not?

Severus glared one last time at every Gryffindor student before sweeping out of the classroom. Claire followed and turned to her class.

"Take a break if you wish, you may socialize till the bell rings."

The students nodded wordlessly before crossing the room to get away from the opposite house.

Claire closed the door behind her and turned around to face the potions master. She sensed him raise an eyebrow and fold his arms over his chest. His toe started tapping on the floor; it was the most irritating sound she had ever heard.

"Kindly stop tapping Severus, you're giving me a headache."

"I guess it's a shame I already have one Miss Laurel." Severus said bad temperedly.

"Well?"

"Well what Severus?" She said a little impatiently.

"Care to explain to me why the students in your class are wrecking havoc in your classroom without your interference?"

"That is none of your business Severus, what I do in my class is my concern, not yours." She couldn't believe what he was doing. They were her lessons and she could do them any damn way she pleased.

"It becomes my business when I have to check on a young incompetent witch who can't seem to keep track of her own classroom." He growled at her, there was no way she was going to tell him what was or wasn't his business.

"What are you talking about?" She seethed, why was he checking on her in the first place?

"I was doing a favour for Minerva, babysitting you is hardly my idea of— She caught him off.

"Babysitting?!" She almost shrieked

"Yes, babysitting, would you like me to fetch you a dictionary?" he sneered.

She took a deep breath; she wasn't going to argue with him.

"I do not need a _babysitter_" she said the word with disgust. "I am managing fine on my own."

"Obviously not, or else your _'managing'_ needs some improvement, your students were_ fighting_ Miss Laurel!"

"Call me Claire" she said forcefully.

What was the witch getting at? What difference would it make whether he called her Claire or Miss Laurel? The fact was that she was obviously not capable of handling a classroom full of idiotic children.

"_Claire_, I highly suggest you find a way to control your class"

She sighed a little, grabbed his hand and yanked him forward. He tried to pull it out of her grasp but she held on tightly. His skin was so soft…Ok so not the time to be thinking about that. She tugged him farther and opened the door to her classroom where her students sat with their own groups of friends.

How dare she touch him? He tried to yank his hand out of hers but she held on tightly. Damn witch, what gave her the right to touch him? Before he could protest against his lack of personal space she had yanked him into her classroom. She released his hand and she strode to the middle of the classroom.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, please come here."

He watched as both boys stood up and walked towards their teacher.

"I would very much like it if our two captains were to perform a duel for Professor Snape."

He watched Potter look at him with a great amount of distaste where as Malfoy lifted his chin and regarded him with an air of superiority. They were both brats, sometimes he wondered which one was more spoiled.

"Just as before, Mr. Potter you will defend and Mr. Malfoy you will attack. Mr. Potter you are not to attack. You may begin."

Was she serious? There was no way in hell that was going to work. He could see it now 'Boy-Who-Lived murdered while duelling against pompous blonde Slytherin.' He wanted to tell her to quit while she was ahead but a small part of him was curious about her new teaching methods. He watched as Potter deflected many of Malfoy's curses but never attacked. Odd, he would have thought Potters wish for breaking rules would have overruled his sense of judgment by now. They continued for a while before Clair spoke once again.

"Enough." They both ceased immediately. He raised his eyebrows, not many teachers were capable of halting the two infamous enemies from duelling.

"Reverse positions" The boys looked a little confused before Potter's eyes glittered. Oh great, now they were going to have to interfere. There was no way he was going to let her continue with her insane lessons. Before he could even take a step, Potter attacked. He watched, transfixed, as Malfoy defended himself. Many times it looked as though Malfoy was about to attack, but one look from Miss Laurel made him shut his mouth. What had this witch done to earn such respect from the students? It took him years to perfect his snarling voice and intimidating posture.

Soon enough, the sparring was over and he simply turned around and headed out the door, a new found respect for his co-worker.


	8. Heating up

Chapter 8

Two weeks had gone by since the beginning of term and already there was an exited buzz going around the school about the new Defence classes. All years had Defence; therefore all years in the school admired and respected Professor Laurel. The other teachers remained baffled for quite awhile, never understanding or figuring out how it was possible for a twenty seven year old, with almost no experience in the field of teaching to have instilled such a natural atmosphere against the houses born to rival one another on their first day. Even Dumbledore seemed impressed.

Draco Malfoy sat alone in the Slytherin common room, twirling his wand in his hand. He couldn't understand for the life of him _why_he listened to her. The Defence teacher wasn't anything that special…right? So why in the world did he feel such a strong urge not to disappoint her? He had never felt that way for any one; well expect his father…and the Dark Lord.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. His father expected great things out of him, as did the Dark Lord. But _her_, she didn't. She expected, well nothing more than normal student behaviour. She expected him to work hard, mouth off, be a normal teenager. She didn't expect him to join the Death eaters, she didn't expect him to bring honour to his pure blood family or to wreck havoc on the Wizarding and Muggle world.

All she had demanded of him was respect and guess what? He could have it in return. There was no running around to do his father's bidding like a dog, or kissing the hem of the Dark Lords robes like a snivelling worm. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut in class, because he didn't trust what he would say, and study. He enjoyed the fact that she intended to befriend every person in the classroom. Teachers rarely did that, even the strictness like Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had their favourites.

That day, two weeks ago when she had asked Potter and him to duel, he was going to curse Potter regardless of her stupid rules. He would not take orders from people unless there was a death threat imminent. But as soon as he caught sight of her eyes, her sapphire blue eyes, they caused him to hesitate. Did he really want to see disappointment in the empty eyes that held all equal? Did he really want to break her confidence in him even if he got to blast Potters balls off? He wasn't sure, and Draco Malfoy did not act upon assumptions. He was going to play along with her game of justice until he could find a good enough reason to disobey her like he did with all his other teachers.

This was absurd! He was not going to let a witch walk all over him because she showed him friendship. He didn't need friends, no Slytherin needed friends. And respect, he was simply being too eager for it, he would gain respect when he was the Dark Lords right hand man. Respect from his father, from the wizarding world and from The Dark Lord himself. That was it; Professor Laurel was not going to sway his opinions! She was not going to turn him into a self-sacrificing Gryffindor! She just wasn't…right?

The blond Slytherin rubbed his eyes tiredly; it had been a long day. Most lights were out in the Slytherin common room and he was the only student left sitting on the green and silver sofa. Suddenly the door creaked open just the slightest bit and the teen whipped around brandishing his wand.

"Oh it's you" He sneered at his head of house.

"Watch your mouth boy, or I shall be forced to tell your father that my _favourite_ student has been acting rather rudely to his superiors." Severus said his lip curling slightly.

"_You _aren't my superior Snape." Malfoy spat, eyes burning.

"Go to bed Mr. Malfoy, before I give you detention with Filch" Severus said gouging the boy's reaction.

"You wouldn't, my father---"

"Yes, yes we all know about your father, in fact he is a good friend of mine as you recall." Severus said sarcastically with a bored expression. "If you keep disobeying your head of house it will not be me who is going to cower before your father." He said watching as the blondes eyes narrowed into slits.

Malfoy continued to glare at his professor before he turned his back on him and strode away towards the fifth year dorms, knowing when his battle was lost.

Severus smirked slightly at the retreating child. "Serves him right" he muttered under his breath. Maybe, just maybe if the boy wasn't so spoiled he might have taken a liking to the young Malfoy; God only knew the boy had quite some talents. He shook his head slightly before turning and heading out the door. He crossed the dungeons and entered his classroom. He moved towards his office and entered the hidden door leading to his quarters. Once inside he closed the door and sat down on his bed, he cradled his head in his hands and breathed deeply. This little exercise worked to calm the nerves without the use of alcohol and its more…unpleasant side effects.

His lungs filled with air till they burned and he let them it out slowly till all air had escaped through his mouth. He had a headache again, what a surprise. He rubbed his temples and he felt cold soft hands replace his. He started, but the hands held him on the spot and resumed rubbing his temples.

"Headmaster will you please knock on the door or else warn me before entering my quarters?" Severus said exasperated and still scared half to death, not that he would ever admit to that.

The headmaster chuckled lightly and simply replied with a simple request.

"Call me Albus dear boy, you seem to have a problem with calling people by their first names, Claire has told me you continue to call her Miss Laurel." The headmaster said softly. Severus started getting uncomfortable with the fact that someone was touching him. It didn't bother him as much seeing as it was the headmaster but bothered him none the less. Albus, noticing Severus' discomfort, continued with his ministrations. Severus' lids started to get heavier, what was happening? Why was he suddenly so tired, and those hands…felt so good. His headache started to leave and his eyes drooped closed.

"Headmaster, I really must start my nightly rounds, it's getting late and…and…I" Severus suddenly went limp, his form falling on Albus. The headmaster chuckled lightly, he had intended on putting Severus to sleep, the boy needed it so much.

"No Severus, no nightly rounds for you tonight." He whispered placing the sleeping figure on the bed. With a flick of his wand he replaced the man's black frock coat with his slick black night ware and tucked him in. He chuckled slightly imagining the potions master waking up in the morning and noticing the headmaster had 'tucked him in' twice now. Oh well, the man was going to have to get used to it if he stubbornly refused to take breaks and spend endless nights slaving over potions. There was no way the headmaster was going to sit by and watch as the young man wore himself out.

Severus woke up in the morning at his usual time, five thirty in the morning that is. He wondered briefly how he had gotten into his night ware and into his bed. He groaned loudly and his cheeks flamed as he remembered that the headmaster had been in his rooms the night before. The medalling old man just couldn't help himself could he? Severus growled he was in truth quite embarrassed with the whole situation. He had two hours till breakfast; he took fifteen minutes for his usual morning cycle and buttoned on his cloak.

Severus then walked into his private laboratory and continued on his potion for the 'oh so powerful' shit head. He had been working almost none stop on a particular potion that created a false signal in the brain so the nervous system would believe the body was in unbearable pain. The purpose of such a potion was so that they could indeed create unbearable pain but leave the body intact for longer, therefore more torture without too much strain on the body. The Dark Lord enjoyed playing with his victims and when they died quickly, he became bored easily.

He had yet to perfect the potion, there were still minor errors with his formula, but these few minor errors could be the difference between a successful potion and a complete failure…as in death. Although Severus deeply hoped death would visit them quickly for this potion, he was sure, was at least (he counted on his fingers) five time worse than the cruciatus curse. It wasn't going to be pretty.

He had worked through breakfast and hardly noticed. His potion just wasn't working; all the lab rats he had been using had all died within a few minutes. It seemed as though his potion was overriding their brains and they ended up brain dead. He needed something less strenuous, but what? He racked his brain but couldn't think of one simple ingredient that would help him.

He checked the clock and noticed with a sigh that his first class of the day was going to start in five minutes. He quickly replaced all his items were they belonged and headed out of his private chambers and opened the door from his office to his classroom. The door swung open easily and he slammed it shut with more force than necessary, he loved the dramatic effect.

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Clair was disappointed to note that Severus wasn't in the Great Hall for breakfast. She was getting excited about seeing him every day. She felt like a silly school girl, but he occupied her mind every moment of the day. For the last two weeks he had been more civil to her. She thought it might have had something to do with the control she had over her classroom. She didn't understand why all the teachers couldn't figure out how the students listened to her. She thought the answer was very obvious. She had interesting lessons for starters, but her main focus was simply respect. She had noticed the children at the school were treated as though they were robots or simply people whose opinion didn't matter that much. So, if she respected them, they respected her. It was rather quite simple. She also treated them as young adults rather than children and did her best to treat them as her equal and not as if they were inferior to her.

She walked down to her first class of the day, she had second year Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. After a very interesting lesson involving Bogart study and interaction were the children learnt the incantation 'Ridiculous' to change their worst fear into something amusing. She was walking down the corridor towards the staff washrooms when she noticed Severus was walking by her. But something was wrong she could feel it. Suddenly an irrational fear seized her heart and she froze in mid step. She noticed Severus had stopped walking as well and he was turned towards her, she could almost imagine his curious look as he stared at her fear stricken face. She tried to hide the terror from showing but the dread in her heart kept growing. She turned her head slowly and stared in his direction.

She started walking towards him and held out her hand.

"Miss Laurel, is there a problem?" He said in a somewhat civil tone. She started hyperventilating and made a visible effort to stop.

"Miss Laurel?" the voice had a pin prick amount of concern in it.

"Severus, may I see your left arm please?" She didn't know what it was but she was sure it was his left arm. She could feel heat radiating off it. Why hadn't she felt the heat before? What was wrong with his arm?

She felt him bristle in response and hold his left arm even closer.

"Please Severus, this is important" she pleaded. She hated pleading but she had a sinking feeling something terrible was about to happen. She felt him reluctantly move his arm a little closer to her. She seized it immediately and noticed that he stiffened at her contact. She began rolling up his sleeve cautiously. And noticed there was heat radiating somewhere else on his body. She was terrified yes, but she couldn't help but comment.

"Severus, are you blushing?"

"Absolutely not!" He snapped. She lifted her hand away from his left arm and traced her fingertips along his cheeks.

"Your burning cheeks beg to differ" she replied smirking a little. He suddenly yanked his arm out of her reach and started turning his back on her, a scowl firmly in place.

"Wait! Severus, please come here!" Her irrational fear started flaring up again the moment he started to leave. She felt him hesitate but continue walking.

"Severus please, I'm sorry" He hesitated again and she took her chance, she walked up quickly to him and grabbed his left arm. "I'm sorry" she repeated quickly, she felt him sneer but he didn't move his arm. She was sure he was feeling uncomfortable by her fear and curious as well or she was sure he would never have let her grab his arm a second time. She continued undoing the buttons on his frock coat and rolling up his sleeve. She felt his cheeks burning again but she didn't comment this time.

The more she rolled up his sleeve the more fear started to grip her heart. His skin was burning but he didn't seem to notice. Finally, after rolling up his sleeve all the way past his elbow, she slowly traced a finger over his skin. She felt him shiver and wondered briefly if she was tickling him…She quickly pushed that thought away as she continued tracing patterns on his arm. Suddenly she found a disturbance on his skin, it had a pattern also, so she traced it and suddenly it hit her. The Dark Mark. She knew Severus was a spy from rumours around the school and because Albus had told her in person, but she was still amazed when she traced its length and design. It was burning; it felt like it had been on an open flame for hours.

"Can't you feel that?" She asked quietly

"What are you talking about Miss Laurel?" He said, his voice faltering slightly from the awkward situation.

"Your skin, it's on fire, it's burning! Getting hotter every second, you can't feel that?" She asked desperately, she didn't understand. Why wasn't he howling in pain by now? It was scaring her, not to mention the already horrible, gut churning sensation of something horrible about to happen, she felt sick.

"Miss Laurel, I don't know what you're talking ab---"His sentence was cut short when he suddenly howled in pain. Oh, so know he could feel it, she thought a little annoyed.

"Come on Severus, I'll bring you to the hospital wing." She said quietly tugging on his arm.

"No! I have…I have to go, Now!"

"What?" She said not understanding, she was getting desperate now. Something was going on, something was horribly wrong, but she didn't know what. His skin was burning, practically on fire and he was refusing help? What was wrong with this man?

"It is none of your concern, please inform the headmaster that I…" He paused obviously trying to think of something. "I have to leave and I shall be back later, ask him for a replacement for me for the day." He finished lamely.

"Good day Miss Laurel" he said through gritted teeth, it was obvious he was in a huge amount of pain.

"Severus wait, I can help!" but he was already gone leaving a confused Defence against the Dark Arts teacher standing in the hallway.

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Severus was walking down the hallway when he spotted Claire walking in the opposite direction. As soon as he got closer she stopped mid stride. She looked petrified.

"Is there a problem Miss Laurel?" He asked attempting to be polite. She looked terrified, what was going on? Suddenly she approached him hand outstretched.

"Miss Laurel?" he asked again a small amount of anxiety building up inside his chest, what was wrong?

"Severus, may I see your left arm please?" she asked. He opened his mouth to answer rudely but instead gripped his arm tighter to his side. What the hell was wrong with her? There was no way in hell he was going to show her his left arm. It had the Dark Mark on it for crying out loud!

"Please Severus, this is important" She said quietly and he found himself reluctantly handing her his left arm. She started rolling up his sleeve and he felt blood rushing up into his face. People normally didn't touch him, he wouldn't let him. And of course, she had to notice.

"Severus, are you blushing?" She asked amusement obvious in her voice.

"Absolutely not!" He said rather indignantly. He felt her fingers brush his face and he felt another wave of blood rush to his cheeks.

"Your burning cheeks beg to differ" That was it, he wasn't going to be ridiculed any longer, he yanked his arm away and stalked off in the other direction when she called after him. He didn't know why but he hesitated. What was he thinking? Why should he stop when she was making fun of him? His hurt pride kept him walking but then she called out a second time. His curiosity of her frightened outburst caused him to hesitate again but this time she didn't wait. She walked up to him and continued rolling up his sleeve; she started tracing the design of his Dark Mark. Why was she so suddenly interested in that? Surely Albus told her he was a spy and just why was she looking so frightened?

"Can't you feel that?" She whispered softly. Feel what? What exactly was he supposed to be feeling? He felt fine. What was the witch talking about?

"What are you talking about Miss Laurel" He felt his voice waver and cursed awkward situations such as this.

"Your skin, it's on fire, it's burning! Getting hotter every second, you can't feel that?" She said desperately, trying to make him understand.

"Miss Laurel, I don't know what you're talking ab---"He stopped talking when he felt the familiar burning of his Dark Mark. He was being summoned, but why in the middle of the day? This didn't make sense. Suddenly panic seized his heart when he realized what exactly this meant. The potion, it wasn't ready. Shit, he was going to be tortured some tonight.

"Come on Severus, I'll bring you to the hospital wing." She said quickly looking as if he had just had an extremely delayed reaction to his pain.

"No! I have…I have to go, Now!" He said quickly There was no way in hell he was going to the hospital wing now, he had a date with torture and probable death to deal with first, _then_ he was probably going to end up in the hospital wing.

"What?" She said obviously not understanding.

"It is none of your concern, please inform the headmaster that I…" He had to think quickly but couldn't think of anything. "I have to leave and I shall be back later, ask him for a replacement for me for the day." He knew he sounded pathetic but he didn't care, he was already late and going to be punished some more for that.

"Good day Miss Laurel" He said through gritted teeth, he was trying to hide his pain and discomfort but knew he was failing miserably. He turned and headed towards his chambers, he heard her call after him but he didn't have time to talk with her at the moment. And then it occurred to him, how had she been able to tell that the Dark Lord was going to summon him? He supposed it was her sensitive senses that alerted her to his rapidly heating skin, although he couldn't feel the difference till several minutes later. He shrugged it off for now and concentrated on finding his death eater robes and mask. He desperately wanted to grab some healing potion or at least blood replenishing but he knew if the Dark Lord intended on torturing him they would most likely search his robes and take them off him anyway, rendering them useless.

He quickly ran out onto the grounds thanking Merlin that no students were out on the rainy day and apparated away to either meet his fate or his own personal hell hole.

A/N - Hey guys, thanks for sticking with the story I swear it's gonna get a lot more interesting, but I'm gonna really need some more reviews please?? Pretty please? Come on just press the pretty button on the bottom of the screen, let me know what you think so I can make more chapters. THX a bunch guys!


	9. Life or Death?

Chapter 9

Severus appeared at the front of a giant old house; it was raining out, the water droplets raged down from the sky seeming intent on pummelling each and every little object that lay beneath it. Severus' hair was plastered to his face within seconds as he walked towards the old mansion. Once past the gate, Severus made his way towards the front door and reached for the door knob. As soon as his fingers touched the cold metal he felt a familiar tugging near his navel and the next thing he knew he was standing in the middle of a circle consisting of all the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. It seemed as though the Dark Lord used a port-key instead of simply opening the door and heading towards the cellar. Well, he assumed they were in the cellar of the old mansion, it was certainly big enough. Of all the tacky things he'd done, Severus wasn't expecting a port key for about twenty feet of walking and a flight of stairs. The room was dark and damp, the torches that were lit emanated a slightly eerie green glow around the room.

He looked around the room and nodded at many of the Death Eaters in return to their greetings. So the Dark Lord hadn't arrived yet, good, he needed time to compose himself for what he was sure was to come. He breathed in deeply and flexed his fingers, hoping he would still have them by the end of the night. He separated his mind from his conscious body in order to establish some resemblance of control when faced with unimaginable pain. Suddenly two black doors opened near the back of the dimly lit room. The Dark Lord himself walked in, flanked by a newer Death Eater and none other than Peter Pettigrew.

The dark room went deadly silent as all eyes travelled along the cellar resting on the Dark Lord. Voldemort took his place on a high chair, Nagini around his bony shoulders. Peter and the new Death Eater quickly shuffled their way into the half circle facing their Lord.

"Ssso, my loyal servantss, what newss have you brought me?"

Lucius Malfoy was the first to step up; he removed his white mask, bowed till his nose stood inches from the ground and, without hesitation, began speaking.

"My Lord," he murmured "It would seem as though the Ministry's taking new precautions when dealing with…" Severus tuned him out; he really didn't care what the ministry was up to these days. He started wringing his hands in apprehension before he noticed his actions and ceased immediately. He would definitely attract the wrong kind of attention were he to continue his fidgeting, not that it really mattered, he would be attracting a lot of attention when he started screaming under the Dark Lords spells. Not that he would give in so easily of course, he would keep fighting not to give the bastard a reaction until his last moments of life.

After a few more moments of babbling, the Dark Lord held up his hand for silence. His red eyes glittered in the dimly lit torch light as he gazed at Lucius, still kneeling before him.

"That iss all very well Luciuss, however, is the prophecy in your possession?"

Lucius froze, it was obvious he had either forgotten his mission or had not located the prophecy.

"I am awaiting your answer Luciuss, do not disappoint me." The death glare that man was capable of managed to send shivers down Severus' spine. It still annoyed him slightly that he was not the only person in the world capable of such a look.

"M-my Lord, we have located it, however---"

"I do not want to hear your excuses Luciuss jusst tell me, do you have it?" The Dark Lord smiled cruelly at him, already guessing the answer when Lucius had started the conversation with mindless babbling instead of cutting to the chase as he normally did.

"No, my Lord, I do not have it with me, but I assure you---"

"That is enough Luciuss, you have failed me, _Crucio_."

Voldemort flicked his wand carelessly and watched as the man squirmed on the ground, trying not to scream. Why did they do this? He enjoyed it so much more when they screamed; he enjoyed hearing their pain, adoring the fact that it was he who was in control.

Finally, Lucius stopped twitching long enough to try and speak again.

"M-my L-lord, I—"

Again the Dark Lord flicked his wand and Lucius was thrown into waves of pain. This time however, he didn't remain as silent. If attentive, small moans and gasps could be heard coming out of the thrashing mans mouth.

Severus remained completely still; he didn't move a muscle fearing the consequences. He wasn't sure what mission Lucius had been sent on but he was sure that he had at least failed in one aspect. He watched as Lucius flailed around on the ground, of course this kind of punishment was cruel but Severus suspected the Dark Lord knew some good news regarding the situation for his punishment wasn't as severe as usual. If Lucius had failed completely he was sure he would probably be beaten within an inch of his life, like Severus assumed to be.

Lucius stopped thrashing and cautiously raised himself to his feet, his knees were shaking badly and his forehead was smeared with blood from hitting the floor continuously. With a mildly shaking arm he brushed his long blonde hair out of his face; The Dark Lord looked at him with a smug smile.

"M-my Lord," Lucky for him he only stuttered once as he would have been tortured otherwise. "We may not have it but we certainly have found it and the circumstances in which you can take it."

The Dark Lord looked mildly interested and moved a long bony finger over his snakes head, the scaly creature hissed in reaction and gazed at Lucius longingly. The blonde man's gaze flickered to the snake momentarily before resting themselves on his Lord.

"Go on Luciuss"

"The prophecy is held within the Department of Mysteries, it is…heavily guarded but still capable of obtaining."

Severus' palms started to sweat; it wouldn't be long know…

"Very good Lucius, and am I to assume you have already devised a plan to get it for me?"

"Unfortunately my Lord, I cannot retrieve it, the only ones who can reach it are those whose names are engraved upon it…"

Lucius looked up at the Dark Lord through the fringe of his hair, it was plain on his face that he was hoping the Dark Lord would accept this and let him return to the circle.

There were murmurs among the Death Eaters, they hadn't been told of a prophecy or any such mission it seemed Lucius had been appointed.

"Sssilence! I did not give you permission to sspeak!" The Dark Lord spat at the circle of Death Eaters.

The crowed quickly shut their mouths, their eyes popping out of their white masks.

"Luciuss, you have done well for now, however I expect more from you when I give you a mission as…important as thiss."Voldemort said his eyes reduced to slits on his pale face, daring the young man to say the wrong thing.

"Of course my Lord, I shall do better next time." Lucius bowed low almost to a point where it seemed his nose was touching the ground.

"You will, or there sshall not be a next time." The Dark Lord said

Lucius nodded and turned on his heals heading for the circle. Severus watched his pale face disappear behind his mask as he replaced it upon his face; Lucius glanced in his direction for the slightest moment before turning around once more to face his master.

The gathered death Eaters waited in a thick silence simply watching the Dark Lord stroke his snake. After several minutes some people began to shift in their places, others even dared to mouth words to each other. Finally after several nerve wracking moments, Voldemort lifted his eyes from his snake and they drifted over the crowed and landed the one place Severus never wanted them to land again, him. As soon as the Dark Lord focused his eyes on the tall black haired man he smiled the most evil smile yet.

"Ssseverusss! My dear potionss master I do believe you have newss for me."

Severus' heart skipped a beat and his stomach clenched with fear, it wasn't that he was afraid of dying or torture he just wasn't ready to die _yet_. He could handle the pain but he wasn't finished atoning for his actions of the past. He didn't think he had given the order enough information, he hadn't helped out enough and he sure as hell wasn't finished torturing his students. Severus clenched his jaw in determination; he wasn't going to die tonight, no, not tonight. He had already decided to end his life after the Dark Lord had been defeated anyway, there would be no more need for him, no more place for him. He would have finished replacing all the wrong that he had caused with right and that was it. It wasn't as if anyone would miss him.

With that thought in mind, he moved his legs in a powerful and graceful stride, imitating a perfect feline. He glided over to the center of the room and knelt before his 'master', he took of his mask and held it to his left shoulder. With one last deep breath, he cleared his mind of any information needed to be kept secret.

"My Lord," he murmured, his voice did not waver and his heart kept a healthy rhythm.

"The potion you have asked me to create is a long procedure and still possesses minor errors, I am nearly finished and it _will_ give the desired effect. I simply need a little more time to---"

He was cut off when the Dark Lord shook his head slightly.

"No, no, no Ssseverusss," he said mockingly as if talking to a child, "I have given you sufficient time to create and compose a new potion for me and you have failed me in all asspects. You tell me, my potion iss not only dysfunctional but incomplete? I gave you a sspecific time frame Sssseverusss, tell me, if a sstudent in your classs failed to hand in a project on time and worsse than that, it wass incomplete, what would you do?"

"I would punish the student, my Lord."

"Very good Ssseverusss, and punishment is what you shall receive." He said an evil glint o his already sinister eyes.

The Death Eaters murmured in excitement, they hadn't fully accepted Severus after he had shown up late when their master had returned to power the year before.

"Ssssounds like my ssservants will enjoy helping very much with your lesson Ssseveruss.

Severus' mouth went dry. They were all going to beat on him? Wonderful. It was time to swallow his pride and let them have their…fun. His hand itched to grab his wand but he knew what was about to happen.

Voldemort smiled and tossed his head an inch or so to the side in one quick movement. Suddenly, Avery was by his side brandishing his wand and pointing it at Severus' chest.

"_Petrificus Totalus_" He said quietly.

Severus' arms snapped to his side and his legs snapped together, he fell face first onto the cold, damp tile floor. A pair of hands searched his robes, probably for any potions, and found his wand. The hands pulled his wand away from his robes, and that's when the first jet of light hit him.

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Claire was pacing in her office; her class in the other room was being quiet and were simply writing a test. She felt the need to be alone and think things over, she was worried, and actually if she was being honest with herself she was terrified. It had only been five minutes since Severus had stalked down the hall way but she felt as if it was an eternity ago. What was happening? Was he okay? Was he dead? No, she refused to think that, from what she knew of the man he was very capable of taking care of himself, he wouldn't die, he couldn't.

Claire stopped pacing long enough to grasp a chair and sit down before her shaking knees gave way. Then she remembered his request before he left.

"_P__lease inform the headmaster that I…_ _I have to leave and I shall be back later, ask him for a replacement for me for the day.__"_

Shit, she had forgotten all about Albus. Maybe he could answer some of her questions, without another moment's hesitation, she quickly strode over to the door and wrenched it open startling her students.

"Forgive me class, I must see the headmaster, please remain quiet and respect the others who are still working on their tests." She quickly opened the door and walked out in to the hall way. After a moment's thought she stuck her head back in the classroom.

"No cheating, I shall know." With this reassurance she walked down the hall and up towards the gargoyle statue.

"Sugar quills" She said loud and clear, the spiral staircase started to move and she quickly climbed up onto the first step. She knocked on the door and without waiting for a reply; she opened the door and walked into the office.

"Ah Claire, so nice to see you dear. Lemon drop?" The elderly man said cheerfully.

"Severus is in trouble." She said quickly, completely ignoring his offer.

"And what would be cause for such a reaction Clair?" She heard his voice waver ever so slightly.

"I'm not sure really, his skin was heating up rather drastically and he didn't seem to notice but once he had, he clutched his left arm and simply would not tell me what the matter was." She said quickly, her words almost over lapping each other.

"Ah, so he will be needing a replacement then?" Albus said with a small amount of concern.

"Albus! Will you please tell me what's going on?" She almost shrieked. Why was he being so passive about this?

"My dear, there is nothing to worry about, thank you for informing me, you might want to return to your students I hear they are doing a test and---"he was cut off by her look.

"Albus I have been having a horrible feeling about all of this since I saw him this morning, something is going on and it's dangerous! Please Albus… Something's wrong." She continued her words fading into a whisper.

After a long pause in which Claire listened and felt the atmosphere, gouging his reaction. The headmaster sighed and she felt his hand move in a wave indicating that she should take a seat.

And take a seat she certainly did.

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Severus was in hell. He was on the cold hard tiled floor lying in his own pool of blood. His left arm was broken, he was sure. His leg was probably shattered judging by the crackling sound it made every time a Death Eater kicked it. He wasn't sure what else was broken but he was sure it was most of his bones. The Death Eaters had thrown mostly cutting and bone crushing curses at him. His fingers felt numb so he assumed they were broken as well

They had each taken a couple swings at him the muggle way. Everything hurt, and the things that didn't hurt were simply numb. His thoughts were running wild in his head, some screaming at him to get up and walk out with his dignity intact. Others cried about the amount of pain he was feeling and the rest, the rest wanted him to die. Those voices didn't care; they were selfish and wanted death to consume him.

There was a long gash going down from his collar bone, across his chest crossing over to his back and ending near his hip bone. It was bleeding severely and caused his Death Eater robes to soak it all in. He was cold but couldn't shiver, and if he did his whole body would throb. He had coughed up blood…a lot, and his face felt swollen at least ten times its size. He tried to flex his limbs but was kicked swiftly in the ribs, most of which were broken. The Death Eaters were laughing, ugh; it was high school all over again. A couple more swift kicks to the ribs and he heard a couple more cracks. Well, that was going to hurt when he got over the shock.

A few more cruciatus curses were sent his way and he flailed around on the ground trying with all his might not to scream or simply not to break down and cry. His body jerked and twisted his already injured limbs making them crack in new places; he definitely had a concussion probably many degrees heading towards fatal. Why didn't they just kill him? Gods he wanted to die, he wanted to see Lily again.

"Had enough yet Snivellus?" The wheezy high pitched voice of Peter Pettigrew asked.

Severus didn't reply he was too tired, too weak. He closed his swollen eyes and dreamt of happy places. Unfortunately happy time didn't last long, another cutting curse was sent his way and it sliced through his face. This time he screamed in agony, it felt as though a hot sword had sliced his flesh open from his left temple all the way across his eye, past his nose and ending on the left side of his jaw line. The blood from his wound seeped into his eyes and they burnt, he couldn't see.

"Enough! I want him alive you idiot! Get out of my sight!" The unmistakable voice of the Dark Lord was heard over the crowed of laughing Death Eaters. One less shadowy figure left the circle and he heard no more of Peters taunts.

He didn't want to breathe, it hurt, he didn't want to think because he had a migraine and he didn't want to live because the feeling of his blood flowing and dripping slowly out of his wounds made him want to be sick. How much longer until he could go back to his cold dungeons and hide his face from the world? He had been tortured for hours, it was surely after dinner. He wasn't sure if the deep gash on his face would leave a scar but he hoped not, he didn't need students laughing at his incapability to fight back. They would laugh at him, he wasn't fighting back, he was just letting them beat on him, and they would surely think he was weak.

His mind started swimming; he had given up trying to protect his dignity after the majority of cutting curses and crucio's had been sent his way. He moaned feebly and his mind started to wander. He faintly realized he was losing consciousness, why he hadn't lost it in the last hour or so he wasn't sure but cursed the Gods for it. He felt his wand thrown onto his side and watched through swollen eyes as the death eaters apparated away. Well, at least they had lifted the anti-apparation wards; he could at least attempt to get back to Hogwarts.

Why didn't he want to die again? Oh yeah, redemption…

He was alone in the cellar now, the Dark Lord and his servants had gone and they had left him to his devices. How generous if them. He tried to sit up but a shooting pain wracked his whole frame. He lay back down panting; this was never going to work. If he were ever to cry out of frustration it would have been now, but as usual, he held it in. He couldn't get up that was for sure. There was only one way he could think of that might possibly work. He clutched his wand in his cut and broken fingers and with the last reserve of his strength he rolled over and apparated away towards Hogwarts grounds.

He appeared with a loud pop a few inches from the ground and then plummeted towards it. It was raining still, fantastic. He hit the grass with a soft thud and felt the last of his breath knocked out of him. He listened for a while, he listened to the thunder rolling across the sky, he listened to the wind howling in his ears but most of all he listened to the rain. It was calming. He couldn't feel much pain anymore, his whole body was numb but he did register that he was cold, very cold… Great he just needed hypothermia added to the mix. He simply let his mind go overboard, fully accepting the black abyss that seemed to be waiting for him.

Just as he was about to let out his last breath before he died, he felt a soft warm hand touch his face. The heat was so good, and the touch so soft that he leaned into it. Someone was talking, but the words were muffled. What were they saying? It didn't matter anyway he couldn't answer, his jaw was broken. He listened more closely; the voice was soft…and sad? Someone was crying, why? The voice took gasps of air and sobs laced every word.

"Hold on" he heard, at least that's what he thought it had said. Why should he? He was going numb now…Everything was ok now. He was going to die, he was sure and he didn't feel bothered by that fact. And suddenly his world of numbness was wrenched away from him. The soft hands were hooked under his arm pits and he screamed. It hurt so bad, his whole body was on fire. What was it doing? What was it _thinking?_ He opened his jaw to ask them to go away and leave him be, but it hurt, his cold and numbed jaw was reacting as though someone had been dunking his face in lava, it was hot, fire licked its way across his jaw line creating an unimaginable pain to burn up his face.

He managed out a muffled "No" but it was so weak he highly doubted the person or thing could hear him. He heard another murmur and sobs start again but the arms supporting his upper body yanked him one more time and he blacked out.

A/N- Hey guys what do you think? Should I make him die? I could if I wanted to...But I don't think I will. Hehe. I love him to much, anyway, please let me know what you think. Impovements? or do you like it the way it is? Please review and help me out. THX a tone guys!!!


	10. The more attractive option

Chapter 10

Claire was beside herself, she knew Severus was a spy but _come one!_There was no way, no way in hell Albus could possibly even think about sending him to death eater meetings to get tortured and then sent back only a quarter alive. No wonder the man was so grouchy all the time. She shivered as she thought of him squirming in pain on the floor. It wasn't even the fact that the man was Severus; she couldn't imagine sending anyone to do that. After all she barely knew the man, it wasn't as if they were dating, not that the idea didn't appeal to her_. 'Stop it Claire!'_ She thought harshly to herself, the man was probably dying at that very moment and all she could think about was a date that would never happen.

She was pacing again but this time she didn't try to stop herself. She had been pacing for hours and dinner in the Great Hall had already finished. She hadn't attended because she wasn't hungry, her mouth felt dry and her stomach felt like it was about to heave any second. It was still storming outside; she could hear it past her bedroom window.

She walked up to the cold glass and touched it feeling the cool window against her flaming palm. Suddenly she heard a loud crack and a thud that sounded like Hagrid had dropped something very heavy on the ground. What if it was him? Should she go out and get him? Would he be angry if she did that? Well, maybe she should go get Poppy. Scratch that, no time. If it was him, then he was probably hurt or dying. That last thought got her feet moving, she was at the door to the hallway in no time.

Clair ran along the crowded hallway full of students heading to bed, she skidded to halt when many curious eyes followed her hasty departure. She began walking slower so as not to attract attention she was sure Severus wouldn't want, if it were him outside. Her pace quickened every step of the way until she was at the giant oak doors.

She pushed it open and walked out into the pouring rain. The water hit her hard, not to mention the fact that she was more sensitive than others when it came to sense of touch. But she was grateful for the rain, the rain helped her see. Every droplet hit a surface of some kind and created an echo. The vibrations from each individual droplet acted as a guide, it was almost as if she could see. The vibrations hit objects before they hit her ears and behind her eyelids she saw shadows of the things they hit.

She could make out what people called trees, bushes even the towering figure of Hogwarts, but no body. Out here in the storm she didn't need her wand; she walked easily down the grassy sloops taking in the shadows and figures around her. Suddenly a large motionless object lay in the distance. This was it! That was Severus she was sure of it. She ran as fast as she could towards the black shadow lying against the floor. She tripped countless times, her robe tangling around her ankles as she desperately ran towards her co-worker.

She finally arrived at the motionless block. She sank down to her knees in the mud, her hair sticking to her face. She shivered horribly in the cold, water was dripping down her nose and cheeks, and the wind was howling and hurting her ears. She reached out a trembling hand and touched the surface of the shadow. Hard, that's what she felt, it didn't make sense. She moved her fingers carefully over the surface, it was bark.

She was kneeling in front of a tree. It had fallen and caused the sound, it was the only explanation. She felt so stupid, tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks. She felt vulnerable and useless. She had been so wound up in the last few hours that all her stress leaked out her eyes. She cried for a couple more minutes letting the worry, confusion and terror engulf her. The mud around her seeped into her robes and the chill creeping into her bones made her shudder.

It had been fifteen minutes and she was still outside in the pouring rain. Her teeth were chattering and her fingers felt numb. Tears were still frozen in her eyes as she took deep breaths trying to repress her feelings enough to get up and head back towards the castle. She didn't even enjoy being able to see shadows as she normally did.

Then she heard it again, the crack then the thud it was almost the same as last time but slightly different. The sound was so faint she thought she had imagined it. She decided it was her mind playing tricks on her and she climbed shakily to her feet. Her legs were numb and she had a hard time walking. The rain was chilling her thoroughly and a small nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her that after all the health and medical assistant courses, she should know when to go back inside so she didn't catch hypothermia. She could tell she was going to get a cold, she doubted she would get hypothermia this quickly seeing as she was healthy and she wasn't weak, other than skipping dinner she was perfectly fine.

She started stumbling towards the castle when she stopped dead in her tracks. She could hear…she could hear something. It was so faint, so far away that she couldn't determine what it was. Suddenly her mind wandered back to the noise she had heard around five minutes ago. No, it couldn't be anything important…right?

Her uncertainty led her to turn around and listen carefully. She listened closer then she had in a long time. Her hearing was quite impressive, better than any deer's actually. She heard it again, it was a slow rhythm, a very slow one. Suddenly it clicked, someone was breathing, quite softly and not quite often. But why would someone be out there and breathing like that…?

It was him, he was back and he was dying. She couldn't move and her heart was frozen on the spot. Her mind went blank and she almost collapsed. 'He's back…' Those words echoed in her mind for what seemed like an eternity. She didn't feel the rain freezing her and making her sick, and suddenly her mind screamed. 'HE'S DYING.'

Her legs went on overdrive as she ran as fast as her frozen body permitted. It hurt to breathe because her lungs were cold and stiff, but she kept going. She watched as the shadows rushed past her, where was he? She couldn't see his shadow anywhere. She had wasted so much time, fresh tears of frustration and anger rolled down her cheeks. What was wrong with her? She was normally so good in situations like these but not that night, she stumbled and tripped across the grounds heading farther and farther away from the castle. She past the tree that had fallen and noticed to late there was a hill on the other side. She started to fall, no, she couldn't fall she didn't have time. Gripping her wand, and in one quick motion, she cast a hover charm on her fumbling feet. The few seconds of being suspended in the air above the hill prevented her from falling all the way down it, but, it was costing her time, time she didn't have.

She quickly reversed the charm and she landed right before the hill edge. More carefully this time she ran down the hill trying not to fall. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest and her laboured breaths ached in her chest. She listened and the breathing was becoming a little bit louder with every hurried step she took.

Finally she spotted the one black shadow she had been waiting to see since that morning when he left. It was a body, she was sure of it this time. She could hear a heartbeat; it was so faint and getting slower every passing second.

Her feet pounded the earth beneath her and she finally shouted out with a raspy sound indicating her time spent in the rain.

"Severus I'm here, hold on!" She cried as she got closer and closer to him. Judging by his shadow he was lying face down in the mud. How was he still breathing? At the moment she didn't care, all that mattered was that she found him, she found him and he was alive.

She sneezed and coughed horribly causing her further pain in her chest. But she couldn't stop, she needed to reach him.

The time she wasted walking back to the castle and weeping for no reason nagged her and made her feel horrible. She finally reached him; Claire sank down to her knees once more, the dried mud on her robes wetting again. Thunder rumbled over head, loud and menacing as she reached a shaking arm towards his head. She touched him lightly, his skin was freezing he certainly felt dead. Her heart stopped beating for a second when she realized he was leaning into her touch. Her heart swelled and with new determination she took out her wand and pointed it at him. 'Wait!' Her mind screamed at her. She remembered again her healing and medical courses and lowered her wand. Using a levitation charm could seriously injure his back or neck and if she bound him she could easily damage his broken bones. She had assumed his limbs were broken because of the odd angle they all sat in.

She whimpered in despair, what was she going to do? She pocketed her wand and hooked her arms under his armpits and pulled with all her strength. He screamed, it was the most horrible sound she had ever heard it was so torn and broken that it ripped her heart into tiny pieces. Only then was she starting to realize how much pain he must have been in. She stopped pulling immediately and laid him back gently onto the ground. She could sense his jaw moving but no sound was coming out. She leaned in closer to his mouth and heard cracking noises. She almost gagged, he was trying to talk and his jaw was broken. Finally the faintest sound yet escaped him.

"No…" he whispered so quietly she almost missed it. God, she was causing him pain. She started to sob now. She couldn't help him, she didn't know how. His obvious pain broke her heart further as she cried her eyes out, he was dying and she was baling like a two year old.

Finally she stuck her arms under him once more and heaved with all her might, she didn't think she could bare causing him anymore pain but the thought of him dying because she was to scared of harming him was beyond reason. Suddenly he went limper then before and she realized he had lost consciousness. Thank God because she had to haul him back up to the castle and she didn't want to hear him cry out again, she shivered when she thought of his outburst.

She started to drag him and lost hope immediately. She was sure he was getting hypothermia quite quickly and his heart beat was getting quitter, with fewer beats. She felt a horrible feeling in her chest coil itself around her heart, she was useless, he was going to die and it was all her fault.

Finally she decided to risk the levitating spell; he wasn't stable at all so she wasn't going to risk anything else with magic. His body hovered over the ground and once again she ran. She ran harder than ever before, slipping and sliding in the mud.

Finally she saw it; she saw the dark shadow of Hogwarts looming over her. His breathing was so slow now she was testing it to make sure she wasn't imagining that she could hear his shallow breaths. She finally reached the oak doors and she pushed them open with all her might. Severus was trailing behind her quickly still hovering a few inches above the ground.

As soon as she entered the castle the rain disappeared along with her shadows, she was plunged into darkness and she was once again counting upon her wand to lead the way. She rushed through the castle; most students had gone to their common rooms for the night so she didn't have to worry about them. Should she bring him to Poppy? She didn't have time. His quarters then, she was sure he would be more comfortable down there, but she didn't know the password. She started to panic, what was she was going to do with him?

Then the answer came to her like a slap in the face. She could take care of him the same as Poppy could, she had studied medical assistance and healing, she sure as hell could do a good job. She quickly decided to take him to her quarters. He wasn't going to like it when he woke up but there was no way she was going to care. His life was in danger and she didn't give a shit whether he was cranky when he got better…if he got better.

She quickly rushed to her rooms and opened the door to her bedroom. She laid him down gently on the bed and quickly checked his breathing. She put her ear to his mouth and felt the small gust of air hit her cheek, well at least he was still breathing. She quickly ran over to her fire place and threw powder into it.

"Albus! Get in here!" she screamed franticly into the heated flames, close to hysterics.

She ran back into her bedroom not even bothering to wait for a reply and began stripping Severus of his shredded clothes. She used her wand to do a diagnostic spell on him and gasped, tears threatening to fall again. At that moment, Albus walked into the room. He just stood there, wasn't he going to help?

What was wrong with him? He should have gotten Poppy or else helped her himself, she couldn't possibly stabilize him alone. She started to panic again, her breathing was coming too quick and she felt unshed tears still in her eyes wanting desperately to escape. Suddenly it was all too much for her and she snapped at her boss.

"Albus don't just stand there! Help me for God's sake!" she snapped loudly startling the man into action.

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Albus was sitting in his office when his fire place started up in green flames.

"Albus! Get in here!"

Uh oh, he wondered what the matter was to make her cool and collected teacher yell so urgently at him. He got up slowly, his back aching from sitting the whole day in his straight back chair. He wondered when Severus was getting back; he wasn't too worried about the boy, after all he had come back with only minor injuries due to his persuasive nature.

Albus walked over to the fireplace and walked through; he spun and carefully stepped out into Claire's quarters. Well, he didn't know what to expect from such an urgent call but he did stop and notice Claire's rooms were…well, they were white. There was almost no design in them at all. 'Well, she is blind…' he reminded himself. He shook his head and sighed, he was getting old and the smallest of things were starting to surprise him again.

He walked into her bedroom with calm settling in his chest; Severus would be coming back soon, he would deal with Claire's problem then he would go to bed for the night, he was exhausted after his long day with the Ministry and couldn't wait to get some sleep. For now everything was alright and he contented himself with the thought of going to bed early for once.

His last thoughts drifted into nothing when he walked into the small room, for upon the king-sized bed lay Severus. He looked dead; his face was the palest thing he had ever seen, his bones were protruding from his skin in many places and his limbs were dangling at odd angles. On top of that, cuts of all sizes littered his body wherever there was exposed skin. Unfortunately, underneath the cuts and gashes lay the darkest bruising he had seen in a while. He was bleeding heavily, blood streamed down his face and his sides creating a horrible stain on the white sheets underneath them, he then noticed his jaw was at a very odd angle…

"Albus don't just stand there! Help me for God's sake!" She snapped at him. He turned to her and looked at her face for the first time since that morning. She had been crying that much was obvious, her hair was plastered to her face and her cheeks were pale, she was shivering and her lips were turning blue.

Her words shocked him into action and he ran over to the bed were he noticed Clair had already begun stripping the shreds of clothes he had left on him. He brandished his wand and cursed himself for lagging and thinking all was well, of course Claire wouldn't get upset over nothing, but he certainly didn't think it could have been anything as serious as this.

He berated himself harshly before running a diagnostic spell over him, he could tell Claire had already done it but he wanted to see the damage for himself. His face started to lose its color as injury after injury presented itself in front of him, both his arms were broken in three different places, six of his ribs were broken yet thankfully none had punctured his lungs. He had a severe concussion, five broken fingers; his spine was fractured but thankfully nowhere crucial. He had severe internal damage to his heart, lungs, stomach and liver, they had all been bruised and most had been punctured. Both his shoulders had been dislocated but his legs were far worse than the rest of him. His right leg was broken in five places along with four fractures along his ankles. His other leg was broken in three places and fractured in two. He was swollen everywhere and his face looked as if someone had used it as a punching bag, with the exception of one long and deep gash running from his right temple all the past his nose till it reached the left side of his jaw line.

Albus quickly cast a warming spell on his body because he noticed it had begun to shiver and his digits had started turning bleu along with his lips. There was no way they would be able to heal him on their own without running out of time, he needed Poppy. The man's shallow breaths started to slow and before they knew it, they had begun returning only every minute or so. He was dying and he, Albus had let this happen. How could he be so stupid, he had tried to blame it on his age countless times but as always, the answer was that he took too many risks with people's lives.

He began helping Claire undress him; the more they took off the more he hated himself. The cuts were long and deep running across his chest and turning so they reached his back. He was infinitely grateful that Clair couldn't see it, she would have broken down long before now, he was sure of it.

He quickly summoned a blood replenishing potion, he uncorked it and placed the vile to his freezing lips, he didn't swallow but Albus hadn't expected him to. He massaged the man's throat till the potion was swallowed, then he set to work healing all his individual cuts.

He glanced over and saw Clair tracing his scars trying to identify the width of them so she could determine where to heal, he watched as she shuddered from touching his wounds, his blood gathering around her light tracing fingers.

He watched as she started to heal with quick precision, he was quite impressed and wondered briefly if she had taken courses on healing during her senior years at school. She summoned many different potions of different colors and textures, he quickly helped her uncork them and slip them down his throat.

Suddenly his heart started to grow fainter; he saw Claire's eyes grow wide as she listened to his chest.

"Albus, he's dying…" she said quietly a tear escaping her eyes.

"I can't...I can't do it…I'm useless, he's going to die." She whispered, more silent tears cascading down her face.

It was now or never, he needed Poppy and he needed her now. Albus stood up and tried for his last hope before he left to find Poppy, he had just inconveniently remembered her mother was sick and she had gone there a few days to care for her. He turned to Clair and held her chin firm in his old hands.

"Young lady, you will save him, I need to go find Poppy so she can help, I'm going to jump start his heart," he held up his hand when her eyes went round and she opened her mouth to protest. "Yes, I know it is extremely risky but it is the only thing that's going to keep him alive until I can locate Poppy, you understand, don't you my dear?" He ended quietly, hoping she understood that her duty was to help him any way she could while he was gone. She nodded, tears falling again.

He looked over at his dying potions master and friend hoping and praying he would still be alive when he got back. Albus pointed his wand at Severus' chest and a blue jet of light hit him a little to left just off the center of his chest.

The man's back arched a moment and then he started to breathe more rapidly, color returning to his lips. Albus looked one last time at Claire noticing she had immediately stuck her ear to his scared chest listening intently for any changes. He quickly stepped out of the room and headed for the fireplace, it was going to be a long night.

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Clair had one ear stuck to Severus' chest and the other listened to Albus leave in a rush of flames. His heart was beating regularly but it was still very far from stable and Albus knew it. She scowled darkly at that, the old man knew he was dying and he still jump started his heart, which could have caused irreversible damage. She let out a sigh; then again, he was right it was Severus' only chance at survival.

Her head was rising and falling on his chest as he breathed deeply, his skin was soft despite his injuries and his body was heating up considerably, she only hoped the pain medication she gave him would help if he woke up, not that she thought he would. She had also given him bone repairing potions in large dosses to heal all his broken bones as well as a potion for his internal injuries. They were going to take a very long time to heal completely but at least they were on their way.

Her head bobbed up and down as she listened to his heart beat normally; her position was so comfortable that her eyes started to drift, and then suddenly his heart gave a lurch.

She snapped her head up and looked at him, his breathing was quickening, and his heart started beating fast…too fast. Her stomach felt heavy she knew what was happening, his heart was going into overdrive and his body was starting to convulse. His heart started going two times, three times, four times normal pass, his breathing was coming in quick gasps and his chest was heaving. His limbs started shaking and then twisting as though he was having a seizure.

Claire started to panic again, what was she going to do? She knew it was going to happen, SHE KNEW! He didn't listen to her and know he was in critical danger. She brought her wand out to bind him but thought better of it, she summoned a calming drought and poured it into his mouth, her hands were shaking and his body was flailing around making it very difficult not to spill anything. She waited five seconds for the potion to kick in but when it did she regretted it.

His body stopped moving all in one second as did his heart and lungs. He stopped breathing and his heart had stopped beating completely. She froze on the spot… he was dead.

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Black, that's all he saw, was he still alive? Or was he dead? He waited but nothing happened, till a soft white glow in the distance caught his attention. The light was growing and he noticed with irritation that he was seeing 'the light at the end of the tunnel' the hell he was going anywhere near it like all the fools in the books did. But then something caught his attention, an eye, no…not just any eye. It was green an emerald green that stole his breath away, well that is if he had any lungs to have air in.

He found himself going towards the light despite the fact that he had sworn not to. Who cared if he was going to die, wasn't he dead already? He got closer and the light grew larger now he could see red hair and a beautiful heart shaped pale face to go with the emerald eyes. It was Lily, he was so sure of it he wanted to go there faster, he wanted to die if it meant seeing her again, to tell her how sorry he was and ask her if she would ever forgive him…

The light grew till it dissolved into a scene, he was in his potions classroom but it was empty, no dunderheads or fools sat behind the desks, it was just empty. He turned and saw her, Lily was just as beautiful as he remembered her, but she wasn't looking at him. She was seated at a desk near the back of the class…her finger traced over it carefully and then slowly, ever so slowly she lifted her face and looked at him softly a small smile playing on her lips. He found he had legs and walked closer to her. Her eyes held his as he got closer to her, finally reaching her he knelt in front of the desk and looked down. He saw their names carved into the desk that he had found at the beginning of the year.

Lily was tracing their names softly, he lifted an arm to touch her, he opened his mouth to say something but she beat him to it.

"Severus…" she whispered taking his breath away for the second time, he wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to say he was sorry for hurting her, for pushing her away; he wanted to say that he loved her. And most of all he wanted to stay with her forever, he liked the thought of death if this was his heaven, not that he deserved it. But once again, she stopped him with a slight shake of her head.

"Not yet Severus" She whispered again, her voice ringing in his ears clear and light. He looked into her eyes with confusion, what did she mean? Then suddenly everything started to fade, she was getting farther away from him, her image rushing from him and gaining speed. No…no, no, no. What was happening? Why was she leaving?

"Lily!" he cried, he stretched out a hand for her but she was already gone, his world was black again with no light.

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Her ear was at his mouth checking his breathing… it was starting again, and then suddenly he spoke.

"Lily…" he whispered, his lips barely moving.

Who was Lily? But she was so consumed with relief and joy that she stored the information in the back of her head for later consideration. Tears rolled down her face for what must have been the fifth time that night. He was alive, he was alive and his heart was beating again. After he had died she had tried so many different spells she wasn't even sure which ones could potentially harm him. She had finally decided to try jump starting his heart again and it had worked for the time being.

She checked over him again and noticed he was on his way to healing. His bones were mending in the right positions, his cuts were reduced to scars, his bruises were still very visible but with some more healing salve he would be rid of them in no more than two weeks. His internal injuries were already resealing themselves and his concussion was already taken care of. She had no doubt he would be in pain when he woke up but at least he _would_ be waking up.

She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when her test showed his heart and breathing stabilized. He was going to be alright.

Suddenly the fire started and she jumped horribly. Poppy came rushing in the room with Albus trailing behind her. Suddenly her eyes felt very heavy and she realized for the first time that it was almost midnight and she was exhausted. She slumped down on the blood soaked sheets beside him, at this point she didn't care that she was lying in his blood. She sensed Poppy doing another diagnostic spell on him and start her usual healing charms even though she knew he had potions already in his system.

She felt warm hands on her shoulders and noticed once again that she was shivering and coughing a lot, she must have caught a cold. She felt the arms hook under her knees and support her back; she was lifted into the air and placed on the couch in her living room. A blanket was draped over her and it heated up rapidly.

"Goodnight my dear." Came a low voice.

"Goodnight Albus." She mumbled in response, it had been such a long day and she was just so relieved that he was now in good hands and _alive._

Her eyes closed and she sighed a deep sigh before drifting off to sleep.

A/N- Hey guys, I know this chapter is longer then the others but I really wanted to sum it all up in one instead of dragging it out. I know you're all pretty tired of reading it, but I really need your reviews. They give me ideas and give me the motivation to keep writting. Thx guys, enjoy!


	11. Nevilles secret

Chapter 11

Claire was sitting behind her desk watching as her fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherins worked quietly on their projects. They had been studying about new defense and attack strategies for a month. It was the first of October and Severus was still out for the count, he had been unconscious for two weeks and Claire had begun to worry about him until Poppy assured her that it was perfectly normally for him to be out that long.

The morning after they had brought Severus to her rooms, she had awoken on the couch and wandered into her bedroom. Albus assured her that he looked much better, he had said that all the mud and blood had been washed off of him and that he was bandaged everywhere but still looked at least three quarters better then when he got there.

She had asked whether he needed to be brought to the hospital wing but they had both shook their heads, she could still remember her shock…

"But Albus, where do you intend to put him? He needs somewhere where he can have someone to look after him in a safe environment; surely you should bring him to the infirmary or at least St. Mungos'?"

"Poppy must return to her mothers and I'm afraid he cannot go to St. Mongo's because he would be too vulnerable there. Many Death Eaters could easily find him there and finish the job…" he had said

"Yes, but you said that Voldemort," she had no issues saying his name "didn't want him dead, his Death Eaters wouldn't dare finish the job if—"she was cut off when he grabbed her hand.

"Oh yes they would my dear, I know they would."

"Then where do you intend for him to stay?" she aid a little indignantly.

"With you of course" he said. It wasn't that she didn't want to care for him and make sure he was okay it was just…She had classes to teach and in all honesty, she was afraid of what his reaction would be when he woke up.

"But Albus, I have classes to teach you can't possibly—"She was cut off again.

"You can manage my dear, I know you can, I have faith in you"

She liked the complement but she wasn't sure how she was going to manage. Finally she ended up agreeing with him as Severus lay in the next room none the wiser.

She pulled her mind from the past and looked up at her students. Something wasn't right; there was a chill in the air. She hadn't noticed before, but then again she was so caught up in her memories that she hadn't noticed.

Oh right, there was Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin that day. That was just what she needed; the Slytherins would probably get upset knowing their head of house wasn't going to be present…Well she always enjoyed helping but there was no way Severus would be well enough to participate, he wasn't even conscious yet.

She listened carefully but nothing more than whispers could be heard amongst the students, she was about to give up and go back to her studies when she heard a paper ball sailing across the room. Her wand indicated that the Malfoy kid had thrown it towards Harry. She stood up abruptly earning many gasps from front row students who hadn't anticipated her sudden movement.

"Mr. Potter, would you care to bring that paper ball to my desk please?"

"But Professor, it wasn't Harry, I saw who did it, it was---"Ronald said before she cut him off.

"I am aware of that Mr. Weasley; however I would still like the paper please."

Harry stood up and walked towards her slowly, she felt the tension rolling off of him, oh yes he was the seeker right? He handed her the paper, his fist clenched in what seemed to be anger. She grabbed the paper from his hand and unravelled it. She felt the surface of the paper and found a rougher texture that indicated ink. She quickly charmed it and the writing turned into brail. A frown grew on her face as she felt the paper, line after line.

She had finished reading and felt pressure in her chest build up, she was so angry she thought she just might hex the student.

"Hey Malfoy,' whispered a Slytherin at the other end of the classroom, "Aren't you worried she saw it? Is the plan still on?"

"It doesn't matter, she can't read it anyway and of course the plan is still on, even if she does manage to find out what it says the threat stays, got it?" Malfoy whispered back.

Oh boy.

There was going to be hell to pay very, very soon. She quickly felt over the words again to gain enough time to come up with a suitable response to what the young Slytherin had wrote.

_-Potter,_

_Forfeit the match today and Longbottom might survive his next surprise attack. The seventh year Slytherins have quite some plans for the idiot, you have been warned._

Not in her classroom they weren't. She turned her head and pointed her wand in Neville's direction. Her wand reported back to her that he indeed had minor injuries such as a swollen lip and a black eye, his nervousness was so obvious he might have been holding a sign saying 'Please don't hurt me' on it. They had the _nerve_ to bully a student in _her _class? After her speech at the beginning of the year Malfoy thought he would be able to hurt a student without her knowing. The boy had SO much to learn.

She noticed Harry was still standing in front of her desk. She turned to him and whispered so only he could hear.

"It's alright Mr. Potter, believe me I _will_ take care of this." Her sentence was laced with anger not directed at him and her words turned into a hiss as she finished.

Suddenly the boys whole posture changed, he didn't seem angry anymore but determined. He turned on his heel and headed back to his spot. The bell was about to ring so she decided to sum up the lesson.

"Mr. Malfoy, detention with Filch after the match tonight at seven o'clock, do not be late."

God she was starting to sound like Severus, she shook her head and continued. She felt Malfoy bristle but she shot him a quick warning glance that shut him up. She was in NO mood to deal with him and he knew it. Suddenly the boy slumped down on his desk when he realized that she had indeed figured out what they were up to.

She turned back to the class.

"You are all free to go, after the weekend we will begin some more interesting approaches to defence and attack." The class stood up and started to head for the door.

"Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Potter, please stay after class."

The rest of the students shuffled out of the classroom but she noticed that Hermione and Ron had stayed behind as well.

"Umm, Professor is it alright if we stay as well? If it has anything to do with the letter we'd like to help." Miss. Granger said a little shyly.

"It doesn't bother me anyway Miss Granger, you may all take a seat." The four students grabbed chairs and placed them in front of her desk. She quickly stopped them and came around it so she could sit with them instead. She didn't like it when students sat in front of her desk as if she were superior or as if they were being reprimanded. The students picked a desk and sat down, so she picked one as well and sat down facing them.

"Mr. Longbottom, are you comfortable talking in front of your friends?"

She started to talk again when he cut her off quietly.

"Could you please call me Neville?" he said very shyly.

"Of course Neville, would you care to tell me why you didn't tell anyone about your injuries?"

"What injuries?" the other three said at once.

Claire was confused for a moment, they didn't know? "Neville has a swollen lip and a black eye, surely you can see that?"

She sensed the three shake their heads, ah…so he was wearing a glamour.

All pairs of eyes turned to Neville.

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Harry turned his eyes towards his friend. He had started to pale considerably, but, no, he didn't see anything wrong with him.

He looked over at his teacher as she grabbed her wand. Neville paled even more at the sight of it. To his sheer amazement she pointed it directly into his face. She murmured something he didn't hear and a small jet of yellow light encircled Neville's oval face.

Suddenly black and blue bruising was very visible on his right eye and his lip was swollen with a large cut down the middle.

He looked over at Hermione's gasp, he himself was worried, why hadn't he said anything before? He knew the Slytherins picked on him and he stopped them when he could but he never suspected they would actually hurt him. He felt awful for not defending him, what kind of a friend was he?

"Now, why didn't you tell anyone?" His professor said quieter and kinder.

"Because it wasn't important." Neville murmured. He couldn't believe it, not important? what was Neville thinking? His fists clenched, when he got a hold of Malfoy he was going to rip him a part.

Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder and he looked up into Claire's deep blue eyes. He unclenched his fists in defeat, maybe he should leave it up to a teacher for once, and Miss Laurel did seem to want to help him.

"Neville, you might not think it's important but I do. I do care whether you get beat up or not, and I don't care whether your pride gets in the way of me saying it."

Neville's face reddened.

"Now, I'm going to have a chat with Mr. Malfoy and these so called seventh years and we will get them to stop."

Neville looked very unconvinced been remained quiet as usual. Miss Laurel frowned and stood up abruptly. She turned around and headed towards her office, he wondered what she was up to.

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Claire was slightly annoyed that Neville didn't believe her but she suspected he had tried to go to a different teacher and they hadn't helped. Well, she was going to change that. She had to admit she had a soft spot for Neville; he was such a sweet boy, always being polite and never budding into anybody's business.

Suddenly she remembered something that could help, she stood up from her chair and headed into her office, she had a necklace her mother had given her when she was smaller that could probably help him.

She rummaged through some boxes and found it; the necklace was cool against her hand. She brought it into her classroom and sat back down on her chair.

"What about the Quidditch game? You can't expect us to forfeit on purpose Harry!" Ron said, obviously she had come back in the middle of an argument.

She waited till they noticed her return, they didn't.

"Ron, stop thinking of yourself! If there is a problem with the Slytherins then we will deal with them or forfeit the match."

"No way! I'll beat them up myself but there is no way we're going to forfeit to some idiots who think their funny by getting to us." She noticed Harry wasn't participating anymore, he was watching Neville, the boy still seemed nervous as he to avoided the conversation.

Claire cleared her throat to gain their attention and all heads turned towards her.

"I do believe I have a solution to your problem." She said confidently.

She held out the necklace to Neville and he took it from her hand. She knew he wouldn't throw it back at her even if he didn't like it, that was just Neville. The chain was simple so she doubted he would have a problem with it, although she didn't know what color it was, hopefully it wasn't pink, she didn't know what that was but she knew for a fact that boys hated for some reason.

The boy didn't put it on so she explained.

"The chain has been enchanted to detect when someone with ill intent towards you is near. If the person's intent is to harm you physically then it will protect you to the best of its abilities until a professor arrives. The chain isn't very strong but it will hold off someone long enough for help to come." She then touched her wand to it and she felt warmth spread through her fingertips reaching up her arm.

"The chain will alert me when its defence is needed so I will be able to find you wherever you are when you need me." She finished, she was quite proud of herself for remembering it. It wasn't strong at all and wouldn't be able to defend him more than a couple of times but for now it would work.

"Thank you professor" Neville said quietly

She could feel all four of them beaming at her and she felt her cheeks start to flame.

"Now off you go and don't worry about losing that match, I hope to see you try your best."

They all turned to leave before they were late for their next class but she felt as though she should talk to Neville alone before he left.

The three of them left and she stopped Neville before he to, left the classroom.

"Hold your head up high Neville, you should be proud of who you are and never let anyone bully you. I want you to stick by your friends, they're good people, they will take care of you when you need it." She paused for a second before placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be here for you to if you need me and I will do my best to help, I promise."

She felt him smile at her and she smiled back warmly. Neville turned and headed out the door to his next lesson. She shouldn't be picking favourites but she really did admire that boy. A frown settled upon her face as she remembered she had some Slytherins to deal with.

But for now she needed to check on Severus again, she didn't have a class till after lunch so she decided to spend some time with the unconscious man.

She turned and headed back towards her office; once she arrived she headed straight across it to the other side and opened the doors to her quarters.

She opened the door to her bedroom and walked over to her king sized bed with Severus lying in the middle; she sat down and sank into the soft mattress. She moved closer to him and sat Indian style in front of his body. She conjured a glass of water and tilted his head back pouring it in his mouth slowly so he didn't choke. His throat didn't protest so she felt comfortable pouring it a little faster. She finally set the empty glass on her bedside table and let her arm fall to her side. She lazily flicked her wand at his body and it indicated that he was, once again, in good health and getting better.

Suddenly she realized she had barely touched him while he lay on her bed, it was probably due to the fact that she knew he didn't like it, he would probably yell at her while he was unconscious. She laughed quietly at the mental image she created and continued to stare into space. She had a very strong urge to explore his body…not completely of course she thought blushing a little. She would go against his wishes when touching his face or arms but she would never invade his privacy like that.

She lifted a finger close to his head and hesitantly touched his hair. When he didn't awaken screaming like a banshee because she had touched his hair she started to stroke it. His hair wasn't greasy…it was soft; she traced the length of it and marvelled at how long it was. She curled it around her fingers remembering how his soft, velvety voice filled her ears. She missed that. But now was not the time to think about his voice, she had a face to explore! The only way she could potentially see his face in her mind again was if she remembered every detail when she touched it.

Claire lifted her hand away from his hair and touched his forehead. She then began moving her fingers down slowly and carefully, soon she added her other hand and her fingers began to explore his face, tracing all the lines, creases and forms it held. Her fingers traced over his eyelids taking in their form and length, she moved her them down and traced the form of his nose. It was quite large she noticed with a small smile, her fingers went over every groove and soon she was at his lips. They were thin but very, very soft. She traced one finger over his top then bottom lip; she grudgingly moved her fingers away from his lips and down to his chin. He had a strong chin and an even stronger jaw she noticed as she moved her fingers over his jaw line. She moved her hands so that they were on either side of his face, feeling the shape of it. He had an oval shaped face she decided after a while.

Her fingers went down to his neck and she shivered, a heat building in her stomach. Maybe she should stop now, she knew what his face looked like so she could remember it when he talked to her but did she really need to know more than that?

Of course she did.

So she continued tracing her fingers down his neck, the large veins and tendons in his neck made the surface of his skin bumpy. But again, it was soft, almost as soft as his lips and his hair. She moved her hands down to his shoulders but it seemed a while before she reached then ends of them. Broad shoulders then, she concluded after awhile. She held her breath as she traced each of his arms. His muscles were very defined but his arms weren't overly big, they were actually quite lean but with a hidden force. She wouldn't want to be hit with one of his punches, that was for sure.

She continued till she held his palms, one in each hand. They were soft till she reached his fingertips, they were callused from potion making but that didn't bother her very much. His fingers were long and elegant yet powerful.

She let go of his hands and gently placed them back on either side of his body. She decided she should stop now before he got really upset with her.

_'And how will he know?'_ a small voice in the back of her head said quietly. No, it wasn't right she argued, but her curiosity won out. She wanted to_ see_ his chest, just that… then she was done.

She cautiously lifted the covers away from his middle and folded them at his waist. He was wearing pants but Albus had let it slip that he was shirtless. She once again cautiously put her hands down against his chest.

"Wow" she breathed quietly. His chest was hard as rock, and to her delight, hairless. She let her fingers roam all over him. His chest was almost as broad as his shoulders, her fingers travelled a little farther down and she noticed how slim he was. His chest may have been broad but the rest of his torso wasn't. After his ribcage ended there was a big dip from his chest to his stomach. Her fingers trailed over his well defined abs and she shivered again. Ok, she really needed to stop now, she was starting to imagine what it would be like if he hugged her…but she knew it would never happen so she carefully and grudgingly moved the covers back over his shoulders.

She sighed out loud, she was never going to be able to concentrate when he talked to her again, she would be imagining his strong arms and broad chest as his velvety voice echoed in her ears…yup she was never going to be able to understand a word he said

She went over to an old radio and turned it on, she loved music. And she liked to turn it up so loud that she couldn't hear anything anymore. She turned it up only a little, it wasn't loud enough to disturb anyone and she was being very conscious not to disrupt Severus, he was healing after all.

She walked over to her library and selected one of her favourite stories books; she headed back to her bedroom and sat down on a big comfy chair on an angle off the right of her king sized bed, farthest from the door. She was very tired; she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She didn't trust herself when she was tired so she set the alarm next to her to ring fifteen minutes before her next class just in case she fell asleep. Claire glanced one last time at Severus; his chest was rising and falling gently and he didn't seem to be in any form of discomfort so she cracked open her book and started trailing her fingers over the bumps. After fifteen minutes her eyes started to droop, darn, she was falling asleep. She had a very hard time controlling herself when she was tired she always ended up asleep.

She closed her book and leaned her head against the back of the chair falling asleep within seconds.

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Severus became aware of a pounding somewhere nearby but he tried to ignore it. After a while it started to grow louder and he noticed the pounding hurt. It took him a second to realize that it was his head that was pounding; he had a migraine big time.

Wait…He was alive? How was that? He started regain feeling in his limbs and he noticed they didn't hurt so much anymore, they ached but it was bearable for the moment. He tried to crack an eye open but he couldn't find the strength to do it. As he slowly started to regain consciousness, Severus realized the aches in his limbs were really starting to bother him. Finally he found the strength to open his eyes; he blinked a couple of time before he realized he wasn't going to see anything else. Everything…was white. Oh no…The hospital wing he thought with horror, but no, it smelt cleaner and less like sterilizer. It actually smelt very nice; it smelt floral with a hint of fruit. Why he was testing the air and trying to decipher smells was beyond him at the moment. He heard soft playing music in the background and found it soothing, he liked classical music and it was on just loud enough for him to enjoy it.

He tried to lift his head but his neck was too stiff. So instead he tried to lift his arm, it hurt terribly but it was bearable. He flexed his fingers and noticed they weren't broken anymore, well that was good news. He opened his mouth to speak but it was so dry that he couldn't, he noticed his jaw was fixed and he would have smiled about that if it weren't for the fact that it would probably hurt to do so and that he was Severus Snape…Severus Snape didn't smile.

He could only look at the ceiling and it was starting to annoy him a little. With great effort, Severus managed to turn his stiff neck to his left. His eyes locked on to the sleeping figure in the green chair beside the bed. It was Miss Laurel, she was sleeping with her head leaning to the side, resting on the back of the chair. Her long dark curly hair framed her heart shaped face, her eyelids were closed and her dark eyelashes curled against her cheek. Her pink lips were open slightly as she breathed in and out quietly.

Wait, why was Miss Laurel in the room? He didn't know where he was only that he wasn't in the infirmary. His neck loosened up after a while, just enough so he could look around. The chair was green but that was pretty much it, the bed he was in was quite big but the comforter and sheets were white. The walls were white and there were no decorations up. The only other color in the room was a mahogany dresser and a small dark night table near his head with a charmed alarm clock on it. It didn't hold the time, go figure she was blind… but there was a dial on the top to which she could set the alarm and to top it off it was written in brail.

He coughed quietly and it hurt his throat terribly, he noticed his chest was very sore and his legs definitely hurt more than anything else. He lifted his hand and touched his face he didn't even feel a scar were he remembered the Death Eaters had slashed his face. Suddenly all the memories of that night filled his mind and he shuddered violently, which in his case didn't help his aching body. But then a new memory flooded into his mind. Lily…she was there and what did she say? Oh right…'Not yet' whatever that meant. He was too tired to figure it out at the moment.

Suddenly Claire shifted in her seat and sat up quickly making him jump, not a good idea. His head spun horribly and he felt as though he was going to be sick.

\\\\

Clair was sleeping peacefully before a movement woke her up. She sat up straight and noticed a shifting in the bed next to her.

"Severus," she said quietly to him, "You're awake"

'Obviously' was what she assumed he was trying to say but it only came out in coughs.

She conjured him a glass of water and handed it to him wordlessly. She felt him grasp it and lift it shakily to his mouth where he sipped it cautiously

"I'll get you some pain potion, I'm sure you're very uncomfortable." she said awkwardly leaving the room. She couldn't believe he was finally awake but now she was starting to feel uncomfortable, when was he going back into his own quarters? She finally reached her cabinet full of potions and picked one up after feeling the label. She walked back into the room carrying the bottle and handed it to him.

He carefully took it and she couldn't help but picture his adams apple bobbing up and down as he drank, it almost made her laugh. When he was finished he handed it back to her and did the one thing she never expected him to do.

"Thank you" he said a little gruffly, but they were the two sweetest words she had ever heard, too bad it didn't last long.

A/N- Hey guys, there is a reason for Neville getting beat up so dont worry it all come togeither...in the end sometime. lol hope you liked it!


	12. Quidditch

Chapter 12

Why was she looking at him like that? He was a gentleman after all, it wasn't as if he never said thank you when it was needed. But now he was starting to get uncomfortable, even though she couldn't see, he had a feeling she was looking through him.

"Would you mind telling me what you're staring at?"

"You know I can't see, why would you ask such a question?" she said, she didn't sound insulted only mildly curious.

"You may not be able to see but your eyes speak plenty for themselves." He said, he was starting to get annoyed now, she knew exactly what he meant.

"Oh, do tell Severus, what is it my eyes are telling you?" She answered sarcastically. He totally killed the moment, she decided after a while.

"Cheek," he growled at her, his voice not as threatening due to his sore throat.

"I'm not a student and I will give you cheek if I want!" She said with a huff, he noticed she was trying hard not to stick her tongue out at him.

"You are acting like one, now quit all the stalling and tell me what you are staring at." He snapped, why this had started being so important to him he didn't know.

"And you are acting like a spoiled child; I'm not going to tell you because it is none of your business." She snapped back, why was he so pushy? And why did he care so much. There was no way she was going to tell him she was trying hard to picture his face as he spoke. Whenever he ticked his jaw or his skin tightened around his eyes made it even easier to see his face in her mind.

She could almost see him sneering, it seemed he didn't have a response to that. She decided to change the subject, seeing as he was obviously about to get difficult.

"There is a Quidditch match today"

"How…interesting" he said obviously thinking the opposite. Why would he care if there was Quidditch, he hated Quidditch.

"It's Gryffindor against Slytherin" She tried again, hopping to coax some life into the man.

"And I care because…?"

"Severus! It's your house for God's sake, they need the support."

"They don't need support they are fine on their own." He growled, all he wanted to do was go back to sleep and forget that she was even in the room with him. He noticed the room went quite, he turned his head and there she was, staring again…

"What?!" he snapped loudly, she was really going to half to stop staring at him like that.

"Stop being a butt head and at least try and support your house!"

"And how, pray tell, am I supposed to do that when I am stuck in a bed?" He said sneering a little. What was with this woman…wait, did she just call him a butt head? How juvenile.

"Oh stop being grumpy Severus, I'm only asking you to send a letter of encouragement to your team or something." Severus' anger started to build, why was she telling him what to do?

"I have every reason to be grumpy, you try almost getting murdered and tortured for hours on end by a maniacal shit head who thinks he is king of the world!" He seethed. Wait, damn he said too much.

He closed his mouth tightly with a small popping sound. She didn't say a word, but she wasn't looking at him…thank god.

"I'm sorry" she murmured. Suddenly his anger fled away, why was it he suddenly realized he never wanted to see her sad? Angry, yes… but not sad.

"It's none of your concern" he said a little gruffly brushing the topic away.

Claire felt horrible, he had just woken up and she was already trying to shove more responsibility on him, his team needed him but his health was more important. So if he didn't want to send a letter then she wasn't going to push it.

Severus began to sit up into a more comfortable position when he stopped quickly, a groan escaped his lips. His side hurt horribly and his shoulders immediately stiffened, the potion helped with his aches but his newly repaired scars and bruising still hurt terribly.

Claire jumped up quickly and left the room only to return with a jar of bruise salve.

"Here let me---"He cut her off quickly.

"No, no I am fine Miss Laurel." He said through gritted teeth, he hoped his cuts hadn't reopened.

"You are in no way fine Severus now lean to your side or I will make you." She said pleasantly, this was going to be fun.

"You wouldn't dare…" he said slowly, he didn't like the look she had on her face. In one quick motion her hand was on his arm, twisting it behind his back, she leaned him forward till his face almost touched his knees and then she pushed him roughly to his side, leaning away from her and exposing his side as well as most his back.

"Call me Claire" she said smiling at him from where she knelt on the floor facing his side. In that instant he felt something extremely cold hit his skin near the middle of his rib cage, in between his front and his back. He yelped in surprise and to his great annoyance she laughed at him. She LAUGHED at him! He was outraged.

"_Claire _" He said acidly "I would advise you to stop touching me immediately if you wish to live till your next birthday."

"Well, my birthday is in three days so…if you can manage to even get out of bed in that time I will gladly open my front door and hold out my neck so you can strangle it ok?" She said with a huge smile on her face. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

"How do you know I would want to strangle you to death?" He said noticing for the first time that he was shirtless, he would have been embarrassed but she had him in a difficult situation. It annoyed him that she was taking advantage of his weakness.

"So you would simply Avada me and be done with it?" she asked serenely. Still holding his arm behind his back, she pressed him farther away from her so that his face was stuck in the pillow. She began to apply more cream to his still bruised and cut back. She felt him hiss when the cold cream touched his skin again and she suppressed a giggle.

"No I wouldn't" he said through gritted teeth, "It would definitively be something that includes more pain and suffering on your part." She thought she could sense him smiling at that thought.

"So, which form of torture would you bestow upon me then?" She asked him again trying not to plainly laugh in his face.

" How about cut off your legs, set fire to your rooms and then watch as you drag your bloody stumps out covered in flames and…"

She was smiling broadly by now, waiting for him to continue his fantasy.

"And then…I think I will strangle you." He finished grinning evilly at the thought.

"Oh, Severus, I didn't know how much you cared!" She said exaggeratedly, with a small smile playing on her lips.

"What are you blabbering about?" he said and winced as she hit a tender spot. He assumed she did it on purpose and added that to the list of offenses she had done to him. He decided the more she offended him the more painful her death would be.

"Well, Severus," she started as if talking to a two year old, when a boy spends that much time and energy on a woman, even if it is planning her death, it means he cares deeply for---"

She was cut off when he snorted…loudly.

"You're delusional" he stated

"No I'm not" she said childishly.

"Fine you aren't delusional, you are simply an idiot."

"Is that the best you can come up with?" She asked, laughing quietly.

"At the moment, I find it a waste to use my more intelligent responses seeing as you aren't competent enough or ---"Suddenly his face was shoved into the pillow and the rest of his comeback was cut off.

"Oops, sorry Severus, what was that you were saying?" She asked as innocently as possible.

"I was simply attempting to find new ways of torturing you before your dreadful fate." He growled at her, his face still half stuffed into the pillow.

"Losing our creative streak are we Severus?" She asked him, laughing at his livid face. She knew he was beyond anger because it rolled off of him in waves.

He didn't like being made fun of, especially if he wasn't able to fight back. Was she ever going to stop annoying him?

At that moment the door opened and Albus walked in. Severus watched as the old man's gaze flickered from Claire's restraining hand on his arm to his defeated posture with his head stuck in the pillow. He watched from the eye that wasn't crushed into the soft fabric as Albus' lips twitched. Was everyone going to laugh at him today?

"Good evening Severus, it is very nice to see you awake my boy." He said pleasantly and sat down in the green chair Clair had vacated a while ago. "I trust you are feeling better?"

"No, I am not headmaster." He growled, his words still annoyingly muffled by the pillow.

Albus didn't hold it back any longer he chuckled merrily and turned his gaze to Claire.

"Is everything alright my dear? I trust you are managing him just fine."

"Of course Albus, he is no trouble at all." She said turning him slightly so he could see her smirk.

Suddenly Clair hit a sensitive spot and the potions master yelped.

"Watch what you're doing you idiot!" Severus bellowed, it seemed as though the headmaster was about to reprimand him for his insult but Claire beat him to it.

Claire knew that would be a sensitive area for him and guessed he would react as such. She didn't want Severus to get into trouble so she quickly distracted him.

"You've already called me an idiot Severus I think you're losing your touch, the children seem to think you have the best insults and comebacks but so far you've just been repeating the same ones." She said a little disappointment in her voice, she was trying to distracting him and it was working.

"Forgive me for not living up to my reputation in my current state." he said referring to his face being stuck into a pillow while his arm was held hostage behind his back.

Wow, that was boring, she had expected more of a rise out of him, but then again he was tired, sore and he had just woken up from being unconscious for two weeks.

"You're forgiven" she said cheekily. She felt him turn his head to sneer or glare at her, she wasn't sure which one because she wasn't close enough to sense the way his face muscles moved.

She moved his arm over a little so she could reach a nasty bruise in the middle of his back and then replaced his arm against it, still restraining him so he couldn't move away from the cold and sticky formula.

Albus watched the interaction with interest and amusement, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a repressed smile. He never thought he would see the day someone would willingly try and get a rise out of Severus, many were too scared to do so. She had actually managed to keep him in bed which surprised him greatly, Severus was known for leaving the hospital wing before he was ready. Harry didn't even get out as many times as he had. But the best part of it all was he had known Severus for many years, the man just did not warm up to people, even when he seemed to be polite and actually enjoy the persons company, his shoulders were still stiff and his posture was still up tight. Albus noticed his discomfort even when others didn't, but as he watched the two fight like children, a warmth spread through him. Severus wasn't up tight, he noticed. His shoulders were stiff but Albus was ninety-nine percent sure it was because of his injuries and not his company.

Claire also seemed to be more relaxed around him, it seemed as though her smile was just that bit brighter when she talked to him. He broke away from his reverie when Severus' incredulous voice broke into his ears.

"I'm in _your _quarters?" He asked sceptically, there was no way the headmaster would let _her_ take care of him right?

"Yes, so be nice or you'll find yourself on the couch and I will be taking my bed back." She said seriously.

"I am not _nice_ Miss Laurel, you better understand that or you shall find poor company in me." _As everyone else does,_ he added to himself.

"Fine then be…well, as pleasant as you can be and I will find that acceptable." She said

"Headmaster will you please get her off of me, where is my wand?" He said desperately he wanted to be away from the evil witches clutches.

"Call me Albus." Dumbledore said firmly. Severus sighed and then repeated himself.

"Albus, where is my wand, I have some mutilation to attend to." he said looking menacingly at Claire's legs.

Claire laughed when she felt his gaze shift to her legs.

"We agreed you could only do that if you managed to get out of bed before my birthday!"

"Correction, _you_ said I couldn't and seeing as you are not my mother_ I_ will decide when I get to mutilate your le—"he was cut off when Albus stood up.

"Forgive me for interrupting children but I have business to attend to. Severus, unfortunately you won't be getting your wand back till you're healthy again, I don't want you risking your health or energy because you wish to…what was it? Oh yes, mutilate Claire's legs. That will have to wait for another day.

Severus' jaw dropped, he wasn't getting his wand back till he could get out of bed? That was preposterous! He needed revenge, and besides what was he going to do without it?

"Close your mouth Severus before a spider crawls out." Claire said, Severus glared at her but shut his mouth all the same. She finally let him up and let go of his arm, he brought it around his body and rubbed his aching shoulder, sneering at her in the process. He wasn't sure if he was going to like her being his nurse.

Severus turned so that he was sitting up in his bed. Well, his side and his back did feel a lot better and he did like it better here than at the hospital wing.

He tried to get out of bed and when neither Albus nor Claire tried to stop him he quickly put his feet on the ground and stood up to his full height. He wobbled a little and Claire looked as if she was ready to catch him if he fell, he snorted at that. Like the witch could actually support his weight, she was way too tiny. Suddenly a wave of dizziness came over him and his knees buckled so he sat back down in defeat, darn he wanted to get his wand back.

Albus smiled at him and he grimaced back, what business did they have keeping him prisoner in there? He hated being held against his will.

"Well I am expected at the ministry soon so I shall bid you both a good day, and Severus do try and behave yourself."

Severus scowled darkly at him, he wasn't a child! He didn't need to be told to behave himself.

Albus left the room and he turned to face Claire, she was watching Albus leave. Suddenly his eyes felt extremely heavy, he hadn't realized he was so tired…

Claire turned around and heard soft snoring, she smiled a little…it was nice to see him healthy again. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and an evil plot formed in her mind. She had saved his life right? That meant, by wizards law that he was in debt to her. Well she was going to use that to her full advantage.

She left the room and realized she had ten minutes till her next class. She had disarmed her alarm clock when she woke up because she knew that if Severus was awake she wouldn't be sleeping.

She hurriedly left to face seventh year Slytherin and Hufflepuff, most of the seventh years in Slytherin were in her class all at the same time so she didn't worry about not being able to find the boys who had hurt Neville.

Her stomach rumbled and she realized that she had skipped lunch while tending to Severus, oh well, she would eat later. The Quidditch match was starting at three o'clock in the afternoon so she still had time to find the culprits behind the attacks on Neville before they were swallowed up by the sea of students heading for the Quidditch pitch. She walked past her office and into her classroom where she awaited her next class.

She had originally planned a lesson a little more exciting than working in groups about the Auror department but she thought it would be easier to catch them if she overheard the troublemakers discussing their plans in a group.

The Hufflepuffs kept to themselves but the Slytherins were being loud and boisterous, not that she had expected anything less from them. They were yelling to each other from across the room. She was slightly irritated but let it slide, as long as there wasn't a fight that broke out between students who thought they were just as irritating as she did. It appeared as though the students didn't mind so she let them be loud.

She had been listening very closely the whole class but so far no mention of Neville until…

"Hey, Marcus"

"What do you want Mike?"

"Did Malfoy give Potter the note?"

"Yeah, if the Gryffindors win this match there's going to be hell to pay." Said the boy she assumed was Marcus

"So we're beating on the Longbottom kid right?" Mike said, he sounded hopeful.

"Yup, that's the one; he's such a wimp he doesn't even fight back! So much for a Gryffindor." Marcus said.

"We are so winning this match, there is no way Potter will risk one his precious friends." The boy said mockingly, the other Slytherins snickered.

Ah, so she had found the little click. She assumed by the laughing that there were at least two or three other boys in on the scheme. She flicked her wand, letters and sentences appeared on the paper in front her. With another flick of her wand the note was sent in the boy's direction and neatly unfolded itself in front of them.

_-Boys,_

_If you so much as touch a hair on Mr. __Longbottom's__ head, let's just say you will regret it immensely. _

_-PL_

Her point was made but she hopped desperately that they understood the meaning behind her words. She really didn't want to, but the boys would be expelled if she caught them harming him.

\\\\

Claire sat in the stands at the Quidditch game and listened intently to the names being called onto the pitch. She held her wand high in the air; she was recording the match for Severus. He said that he didn't care about Quidditch but she was sure he would still like to watch his house play. Even though he pretended not to care about his 'snakes' as she had heard him call them once, she knew deep down he would wish he had seen it so he could congratulate them later. She listened to the usual rules and heard the whistle blow. The wind swept her hair in her face as the players sped around the stadium.

Fifteen minutes later the first goal had been won by Slytherin. One side of the crowd cheered and the other side booed. She didn't really mind either way, she wasn't head of house so she could root for whichever team took her fancy.

News of Severus' disappearance was spread through the school so the students would believe he was on a mission for Dumbledore and wouldn't be back until later. She had a feeling the Slytherins missed him and wished he was there for the match; she had overheard it in her class that day. The other houses didn't like Severus…at all, but she was sure he had no idea how much he meant to his own house. Just to prove her point another Slytherin point was awarded as one of the Slytherins scored again, but this time it was a girl, she didn't know who the student was but it didn't matter, her next message was enough for Claire to like her.

"That was for you Professor Snape, wherever you are!" She hollered onto the pitch. Many cheers through the Slytherin sides were heard but the rest of the Houses remained quiet, they would have booed again except they feared being reprimanded for disrespect of a teacher.

Claire smiled broadly, he would like that… she was sure.

The match finished two hours later with Harry catching the snitch; apparently it was a spectacular win. Harry against Draco and they had both dived at the same time, side by side. They had bumped into each other causing them both to veer off course but Harry had jumped from his broom and caught the snitch in mid air before he crashed to the ground some 5 feet away. Luckily the distance wasn't so great when he jumped so he only received a very bruised hip from landing on it.

Those were the times she wished she could see, she had always been fascinated with Quidditch but had always been too afraid of going on a broom. She was afraid of heights, people thought that was weird for a girl who couldn't even see how far she was off the ground but she definitely felt it , it horrified her so she stayed attached to the earth.

It was a Friday night and Claire was heading back to her office when her fingers started to hurt, she knew exactly what it meant and quickly pointed her wand to her fingers and cast a spell. The necklace she gave to Neville was alerting her, there was danger near him. Her spell indicated that he was on the second floor closest to the library, she turned on her heals and headed for the opposite direction, she didn't know what to expect, all she knew was that Neville was in trouble.

A/N- Hey Guys, I really hope you didn't think the jokes between Claire and Severus were out of character because I tried really hard to make them sound plausible, anyway tell me what you think, thx a tone guys!


	13. A Life Debt

Chapter 13

The tapping of her shoes echoed through the deserted corridors, students were in there common rooms celebrating a good Quidditch game. It seemed as though Neville had other ideas seeing as he was near the library, she found that odd and suspected the boy didn't end up there on his own.

She started walking quicker hoping she wasn't too late, there would be no point running in the hallways seeing as she didn't like hypocrites. She quickened her pace again so she was just a notch bellow running. The library was close now, only a few feet away. She could hear shouts and frustrated yelling as she approached the corridor that should have been empty of all students.

She could hear Harry and Ron yelling so she guessed the trio had followed Neville to ensure his safety. She rounded the corner and brandished her wand.

"Impedimenta!" She shouted and she felt her spell pass though the air and hit Marcus, The seventh year froz, his fist in the air inches from Neville's face. She had determined their positions by the noise. She sensed Harry running up to her side as every other person in the corridor stopped on the spot to watch Marcus and his frozen attack.

Neville was standing with his back flat against the wall; he was unharmed probably due to the first few failed attacks caused by the necklaces defence system. She didn't know why the boy had been reduced to a muggle form of attack but she assumed after his first few spells dissolved before they touched Neville made him realize fairly quickly that magic was useless against him.

"Would you mind telling me what the problem is Mr. Fen?" she hissed at the frozen boy only a few feet in front of her.

Marcus unfroze and turned around, anger and frustration rolling off of him.

"Nothing professor." Marcus said through gritted teeth.

"You lying piece of---"Ron said but she cut him off, there was no need for insults to worsen their situation.

"Neville," she said quietly, "Come here."

She sensed him unglue himself from the wall and hesitantly creep around the bigger boy in front of him. She noticed the other Slytherin boys remained quiet, not daring to say anything that might get them in worse trouble. She also noticed that the young Mr. Malfoy was in the mix of seventh year Slytherins but unusually without his two henchmen.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said after Neville was safely beside her. "You disappoint me, I expected more of you." She meant what she said; she had hoped he would know better, he was bright and talented after all. She was sure he wouldn't want to give that up because some seventh years thought he'd be good with their click.

She sensed him bow his head but also noticed there was a smirk on his lips. She didn't know what he was smirking at but she let it pass.

" I'm not going to make you repeat what you've just done because I can see the situation on my own ,therefore, I will be taking thirty points each from Slytherin and you will all get detention with Professor Hargrid in the grounds for the nest 2 weeks every night at five o'clock." She dished out the punishment with a calm voice. The students in front of her shuffled their feet but didn't complain, it was a good thing they didn't because there would have been worse consequences then that.

She was angry but tried to remain calm again, what were they thinking? If they had actually hurt Neville they would have been expelled, lucky for them they didn't but she hoped they got the hint because she wouldn't hesitate to kick them out of the school should they ever try something like that again.

"Please head back to your common room, I am sure you class mates are celebrating a game well played." She said quietly, she was still trying not to yell at them.

Once the Slytherins had sulkily walked back to their common room, she turned to the four others.

"So, what happened?"

"Well, we watched as Neville left the stadium but we didn't know where he was headed," Hermione started.

"So we followed him, by the time we got there, Malfoy and the other idiots were firing spells at him!" Ron continued, outraged.

"Your necklace really helped…thanks." Neville added quietly.

"You're welcome, however, would you mind telling me why you left the stadium without your friends when you knew the Slytherins were looking for you?" She sensed him shift positions and heat burn off his cheeks in embarrassment.

"I couldn't find my rememberall and then I saw it on the grass near the entry to the stadium, Every time I got close, it got farther away, so I…"

"Ran after it?" she finished for him. It was a pretty simple trick and she didn't know why Neville fell for it. She suddenly suspected he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"That was pretty thick of you Neville." Ron commented unnecessarily.

She sensed Neville's blush deepen as Hermione slapped him of the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that fo—"she cut him off quickly

"For being insensitive! Now shut up and listen to the rest of it" Ron shut his mouth for the time being but turned his gaze back to Hermione's hand every so often.

"Yes, I ran after it and that's when Malfoy showed up, he tried throwing some curses at me but they dissolved before they hit me… I guess that's what the necklace was for, right?"

"Exactly, well I'm happy you three came in time, but Neville you should really be more careful." She said giving him a meaningful look. She knew there was more to the story but she guessed he didn't want to discuss it in front of his friends, why he would rather appear stupid she didn't know.

"Ok, off to your common room the four of you, I suspect Gryffindor is going to be having a long night." she said giving them a wink. Neville's facial muscles shifted till she recognized a shy smile spreading across his face. Suddenly Harry piped up for the first time.

"Thanks Professor, I mean for helping Neville" Harry said with a high note to his voice she suspected was because of his victory with no consequences to his friend.

"Don't thank me for helping a student; it's what I'm here for." She said dismissing them again. Finally the four Gryffindors headed off to their dormitories and all she felt like doing was sinking into her nice, soft, warm bed and sleep till Monday.

But wait, Severus was in her bed…Damn it. Oh well her couch wasn't that bad, it was actually pretty comfortable too. She started walking back towards her rooms feeling much better now that her ordeal with Gryffindor and Slytherin was taken care of.

She opened her door and noticed it was late, much later then what she had thought and her body ached from the long day standing on her feet. With a small amount of exasperation she remembered that she needed to apply more salve on Severus' back. His back and his side were the only places he had severe bruising left, she needed to apply more because once the salve had been put on it had to be reapplied ever seven hours or so. She hoped he was still asleep because she didn't feel like talking to anyone; she was sore, tired and her heart felt heavy when she thought about how the seventh year Slytherins ignored her so that they could pick on someone younger than them. She shook her head in disgust, she hoped they matured soon or they would have a tough time out in the real world, people didn't like bullies.

She dragged her feet towards her bedroom and opened the door as quietly as possible, she walked in and noticed the soft snoring from before was still present. She smiled a little, at least Severus was getting healthier, she allowed that to make her feel a little better. She knelt down beside the bed; he was close enough to the side so that she could reach him. Her arms felt like mush as she unscrewed the lid of the bruise salve she had left on the bedside table and warmed it slightly with the tip of her wand, she didn't want to wake him.

She rubbed the cream on his back in small circles, making sure she didn't hit anywhere serious. As she rubbed his back her mind started to wander to Neville, she knew he had lied. What was it that boy was hiding from everyone? What was it that made him mislead his friends into thinking he had done something so stupid as following his rememberall when it escaped him every time he went to reach it. She guessed that was the equivalent to chasing after a five dollar bill attached to a fishing poll which a prankster would reel away every few minutes, she had seen it on a muggle television show when she went to her grandparents house one time...

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His back was aching, he didn't understand why; Claire had applied the salve on his back not too long ago, Suddenly small circles were being rubbed into his back, at first he stiffened but no matter how much he wanted to run away from the physical contact he leaned into it, his back hurt so much and the hands felt so good. Soon his aches started to lessen and he opened his eyes a crack.

The bedroom was barley lit; the only light was a small lamp on the bed side table. He knew instantly Claire was in the room, he could smell her. She smelt like a mix of vanilla and some sort of fruit, it wasn't a bad combination he decided after a while. He turned his head to look at her but she didn't notice him. He looked her over, she looked exhausted. There were blue circles under her eyes, her lips were dry, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes looked ready to close at any second. He wondered why she hadn't noticed him wake up; she seemed to notice everything else, much to his annoyance.

She looked deep in thought and her movements started to slow, it was obvious she was getting tired. She also seemed depressed, for some odd reason he wanted to know why, but refrained from talking. It wasn't his business and he didn't care what her problems were.

Still in thought she stood up and screwed the lid back on the salve, then she mechanically pulled the sheets up and over his shoulders. Without a backwards glance she headed for the door and once arrived she seemed to awaken from her stupor.

"Goodnight Severus." She whispered before closing the door behind her. He felt an odd sensation flood his chest, what was that? He had absolutely no idea, but he liked it. He stretched his arm and turned off the little lamp at his bedside table. He was feeling a lot better and planned on giving Claire a wake up call the next morning.

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Clair sank down onto the couch; she pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and let the world of unrealistic dreams overtake her.

Clair woke up to the smell of…of something. In truth she had absolutely no idea what the smell was but it smelt heavenly. She just noticed how hungry she was and finally her brain started ticking when she realized she smelt eggs, bacon and…toast? Yes it was toast she decided after sniffing a couple more times. She moved her numb arms out from underneath her and stretched them till her shoulders popped and her fingers cracked.

She opened her eyes, not that it made any difference, and snuggled deeper into the warmth of her blankets. Suddenly she was hoisted into the air by her ankle, upside down. The sudden movement made her scream; she grabbed the blanket and held it tight so it wouldn't fall.

"So, Miss Laurel which leg do I get to start with?" Asked a deep velvety voice. Her heart skipped a beat hearing it to its full power again and she simply rubbed her eyes lazily with the blanket still clutched in her palms. She could tell he was several feet away, but his voice still carried through her small living room.

"Severus! You should be in bed healing!" She said sleepily.

"I am perfectly healthy and no longer in need of your…services, thank you."

"You're not healthy you're on your way to becoming healthy so you should be sleeping." She scolded half heartedly, she knew there was no point in arguing with him.

"On the contrary, I heal quickly. Now, I ask you again, which leg do I get to start with?"

She yawned and replied slowly.

"Whichever one you want Severus, it's your pick." She said blood rushing to her face; she was too tired to react appropriately or else she would probably be yelling and screaming at the top of her lungs, just loud enough for the whole entire school to hear. She didn't enjoy being hung upside down in her own living room especially when she was being held there by her ankle which was going numb.

"I think I'll start with the left." Came the soft velvety voice again, this time it was whispering in her ear. How did he cross the room so fast? She supposed he was trying to be menacing but she ended up smiling in the end. Others would probably consider his silkily whispered words a threat and they would cringe away, but not her. Claire's mind wandered over to the gutter as his voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Before you do, I just want to bring something up" she said lazily to him.

He sighed dramatically, obviously put out that she wasn't cowering in fear before him.

"What is it Miss Laurel?" he snapped irritated. He seemed quite down now that the whole evil atmosphere was ruined by her sleepy attitude.

"Well, seeing as I saved your life and all—"

"What are you getting at?" He asked sharply, he didn't like it when people brought up things like that, besides why wasn't she holding out her neck like she said she would? She did promise after all. He had gotten out of bed and it was only the second of October, her birthday was obviously on the fourth so he rightly deserved his revenge.

"You owe me." She said simply

"What?" he said incredulously and he dropped her unceremoniously on her head. She screamed as her legs hit the back of the couch and she slid down till her body was once again laying properly on it.

"Ow! That was uncalled for!" She growled at him.

Claire collected herself into a sitting position and scowled at him.

"Quit your blabbering and get to the point." He said a little harshly.

"I said you owe me."

"You don't need to repeat yourself Miss Laurel, I heard you the first time I was simply asking you to tell me what it is exactly, that I owe you." He said

"Call me Claire and I'll tell you." She said and evil smile tugging at the corners of her lips, she was going to enjoy telling him the next bit.

He gave an exasperated sigh and bit his lip, she could tell.

"You know, biting your lip is a bad habit." She said off handily

"Thank you for your input but I'm sure I won't die." He said irritated. What was with this woman? He could care less if it was a bad habit, he didn't do it often anyway, only when he didn't want to say something which wasn't very often seeing as he mostly said what he thought and wasn't concerned with sparing people's feelings.

"Fine, I won't cut off your legs" he said grudgingly.

To both her surprise and Severus' she started to laugh.

"But you're still going to set my rooms on fire aren't you?" She said between giggles.

"Precisely" He said with a smirk.

"Oh no, I have better plans for you Severus, so you can still cut off my legs if you want to."

He eyed her suspiciously for a moment; well he supposed he was going to have to do whatever she wanted because he was bound by ministry law to pay her back in any way she saw fit. He growled at her and answered shortly.

"What is it that you want?" he said impatiently.

She looked at him expectantly. "_Claire__" _He added impatiently.

"I want you to take me on a date. It's my birthday in two more days why don't you take me then?" She said with a small smile.

There was silence in the room and she had the feeling he was mulling it over in his head.

Was she crazy? A date…with him? There was obviously something wrong with this witch. No one would even go near him let alone talk to him and she wanted to date him? Well, he didn't date so that was that; he had managed to avoid most woman so far, why would he start dating now? He was about to tell he 'no' but he found he couldn't do it, damn it! Now that she had made the request, wizarding law made him hold his tongue. Oh, he was SO going to cut off her legs soon.

"Fine!" he snapped at her and stalked off into the dining room.

Claire was all smiles; he had said yes, wizarding law or no he had still agreed to take her on a date. She was going to crack this solitary, mysterious, dark and dreary man once and for all! And maybe he wouldn't like her, well she was pretty sure she could deal with that; she was only going to ask to be his friend, then again, he might not want to be her friend either…oh well. Her stomach flipped over and her heart fluttered.

Claire carefully picked herself off the ground, and headed after him into the dining area. She found him sitting at a table with a plate of food in front of him, she sat down at the table across from him and noticed from the delightful smell that she had food in front of her as well.

"Aw! Severus, did you make me breakfast?" She asked impressed.

"No" he growled, "The house elves brought it in." He finished, Claire honestly couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. At the moment she didn't care, she realized how hungry she was and dug in.

About halfway through a silent meal Severus grudgingly broke the silence; after all he needed details of this…date. Even in his mind the word sounding awful, especially when he put that word and his name in the same sentence. He cleared his throat and hesitated before asking, he couldn't BELIEVE he was doing this.

"About this _date_," the word sounded funny coming out of his mouth, "I need to know details if I am talking you somewhere…" He cringed…it sounded; well he wasn't sure but nothing like him. Severus Snape was out of his comfort zone and he didn't like it, not one bit.

"It's up to you Severus." She said as if bored, her plate of food seemed more interesting to her in that moment.

He growled at her, why was she being difficult? As if reading his mind, Claire piped up.

"I'm not being difficult, I'm simply giving you all responsibility for the night, take me somewhere you want to go and I'll be happy. I have no conditions other then we must actually go somewhere, I would rather not stay in my quarters." She felt confident with this, she knew he wasn't a very eccentric guy so she didn't have to worry about going somewhere she didn't feel comfortable.

So it was up to him huh? Well then he wasn't going to do much at all. Suddenly a thought popped into his mind, it was still warm out and he had special place he enjoyed going at night time he thought wouldn't be a bad idea. It was under a large Willow tree facing the lake, when he went at night the moon would hit it just right and all the starts would glitter off its surface. There, it wasn't expensive and it wasn't technically 'going out' and it was going to be somewhere he felt at ease.

In all honesty he really didn't care whether she enjoyed it or not, it wasn't his problem. She wanted to go on a date with him, then so be it.

Claire sensed the tension rolling off him and suddenly she felt just a tiny bit guilty, was she forcing too much on him? Besides, even though she hadn't thought it through carefully the night he died came to mind. She didn't know anything about this girl named Lily but she suspected she was probably romantically involved with him. To tell the truth if that were the case she was pretty jealous of her, how had she managed to win his heart? She brushed it aside and realized she didn't feel bad for him anymore.

He had survived… what, seven years at school now? He had survived Dumbledore, Harry and Draco in the same classroom and Voldemort, not to mention the worst…Neville Longbottom in potions class. Yeah, she was pretty sure he could handle one date; after all, she had a feeling they weren't going to do much.

She could feel him shift around in his chair, which was unusual for him, normally he kept quite still. She assumed he was uncomfortable now, oh well; it was his fault he almost died right? She couldn't help it if he wouldn't go on a date with her unless it was a life debt repayment.

Suddenly she wondered why he was still in her rooms if he was all better again; she smiled a little about that.

Was she gloating? Is that why she was smiling, oh, he was going to teach her! Just as he was about to comment on her poor behaviour she started a completely different conversation.

"I had to appoint four of your student's detention with Hagrid for the next two weeks." She said carefully; she didn't want him to think she did it because they were Slytherin as he tended to think.

"Really? And why pray tell, are these four students of mine in detention?" he hissed, this had better be good or she was going to get an ear full.

"Forgive me Severus but I caught them physically and emotionally harming another student." Severus mulled this over for a second, was she telling the truth or did the other student start it first? As if reading his mind again she quickly answered.

"Before you blow up, the student was Neville Longbottom. I had caught Mr. Malfoy sending a threat to Mr. Potter that if the Gryffindor team were to win the match Mr. Longbottom would be severely injured." Here she took a pause waiting for him to start yelling about lies or other such nonsense. When nothing happened, she continued.

"I later caught three of your seventh years talking; in class might I add, about their previous attacks on Mr. Longbottom. And then after the match, I once again caught all four of them gang up on him seeing as the match was won by Gryffindor…" She trailed off hoping to God he would understand.

He thought this over, true he didn't like Longbottom he was clumsy with no backbone but that would be no reason to bully the student. He did believe that Malfoy would join a click of seventh years because he was just like his father and he had no doubt in his mind that they held true to their threat and ganged up on the boy after the match. He was disappointed in them, they had humiliated his house and him, he was definitely going to have a talk with them. Some of his students just didn't possess any ounce of class. He didn't want to believe that they made a mockery out of his house like that, but for some reason Claire didn't seem the type to lie; besides, she wasn't head of house like Minerva or Filius. She didn't constantly blame his house for everything, most of his students; he had heard, actually enjoyed her classes very much and found her to be an interesting and fair teacher.

"I understand" he said reasonably, "I will have a talk with them when I get back to my classes on Monday."

"Oh that won't be necessary, I've already talked to them and docked points you don't need to—"

"Please do not tell me what I will or will not do concerning students in my house." He sneered. He got up from the table and headed for the door; he opened and put one foot out before turning slightly.

"I would like to express my gratitude for your…help. Until the fourth, Miss Laurel." He said courteously before shutting the door behind him.

A/N- Hey guys, sorry I missed a day I had to work, I have to work tomorrow to so I'm not sure if I'll have another chapter done by then. Anyway, what do you think? Will Severus end up finding the perfect dating spot by accident or will Claire have expected something with a little more class? Let me know what you think, thx guys!


	14. Happy Birthday!

Chapter 14

It was Monday morning breakfast, as in her birthday. She had absolutely no idea how the whole entire school had found out, she supposed maybe Albus or Minerva had spread the rumour but she had been receiving Happy Birthday's all morning. She would smile at them and thank them sometimes even her cheeks would heat up and she wished no one would notice. She wasn't used to getting so much attention and she wasn't sure whether she liked it or not. She noticed with a little disappointment that Severus wasn't at breakfast, not that it surprised her of course. But she would see him tonight she thought as a sly smile crept across her face.

Her first class went by quickly, as did her second…and third. They all went by so fast she had barely noticed the change of students and years from one class to the next. They had all wished her more Happy Birthday's and one class even sang it, very loudly. Lunch had also passed by quickly and finally at the end of the day her last class walked in. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter were shooting glares at each other; she could feel the tension in the classroom already, what could have possibly happened already?

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_Earlier that day_

Severus was stalking up the rows in his classrooms, watching over potions and scolding students when they did something so completely stupid he had no idea why they even bothered coming to his classes.

Much to his surprise, and he didn't like surprises, his students had smiled at him this morning…smiled at him! Well only his house students obviously but even they refrained from showing any sign of affection for him. Maybe Claire was right and he should have been there for the Quidditch game, not that he could have gotten out of the bed that evening, he had just woken up.

He brushed it aside and focused on the class exiting his classroom. He looked at his schedule and almost groaned, fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor already, they couldn't be serious? His limbs were still aching a little and his back became sore if he stood to long so he guessed he was going to have to watch what he did, he couldn't have the students think he were human after all, he thought sarcastically. Well, he didn't want to show any sign of weakness so he waited in his office so he could dramatically sweep in as he always did.

Harry was walking towards his potions class in high spirits, Snape hadn't been in class for the last two weeks, maybe he just wasn't coming back? He allowed himself that small hope and turned to Ron as they waited for the dungeons door to open when the bell rang.

"Another potions class Snapeless." Ron said in satisfaction.

"Yup, wonder who it's going to be today, I hope its Dumbledore again." Harry said hopefully.

Just as Ron began to nod in agreement the door swung open in synch with the bell indicating the start of class. Harry Ron and Hermione walked in and took their spots together, they were never allowed to do this with Snape in the class but because he had been absent for the last two weeks they felt comfortable with the fact that they were disobeying his rules and he wasn't there to punish them.

Just then, the back door opened and slammed against the wall menacingly. The class fell dead silent.

Harry watched in horror as Snape himself walked to the front of the classroom, but something was off, he looked paler and maybe just a little weaker…

"What are you all staring at?" he snapped, his eyes glittering. The whole class removed their shocked eyes from their Professor and went about gathering their notes for class.

Ok maybe not any less weak, Harry decided after watching the man stalk over to the black board. Suddenly he turned on the spot and regarded the class suspiciously.

"And who," he said taking each step towards the class just as slow as his words, "Gave you the permission," he was now standing right in Harry's face because he was sitting in the front of the class. "To switch seats?" he finished in a menacing whisper.

Harry watched as his lip curled and his eyes hardened. They gave him the creeps, why was he always coming so close to HIM? Why couldn't the man stick his big nose in Malfoy's face or something?

"Um...Professor Dumbledore, sir." Hermione replied at the wrong moment.

"Was I speaking to you Miss. Granger?" He said acidly, still in Harry's personal space but his eyes flashed over to her face. Harry also moved his eyes in Hermione's direction and he noticed she had paled quite a bit. It a been a while since fear had been reinstalled in the potions masters classroom. Hermione didn't answer.

"I find it odd," he said now walking a foot or two towards Hermione, "That you answer when _not _spoken to, but don't when you _are_ addressed." He said silkily.

"I'm s-sorry P-professor." She stuttered.

"No more excuses Miss Granger, ten points from Gryffindor and," Here he raised his voice a little louder, "You will ALL get back to your assigned seats" he ended in a hiss.

The class quickly clambered to the seats they were assigned at the beginning of the year. Harry grudgingly moved over to sit beside Malfoy, all the desks were spaced out so he wasn't technically next to him but he still didn't like the idea of being one desk away. Malfoy was still in whisper range so Harry knew he was going to be spending the rest of the class trying to tune Malfoy out.

He dumped his books on his 'new' desk and angrily shoved them to the corner pulling out his cauldron and potions kit.

"Having a little tantrum are we Potter?" Malfoy whispered just as Harry predicted.

"Shove it Malfoy." Harry whispered back, and of course his whisper was the only one heard in the classroom.

"Five points Mr. Potter; do not insult your classmates." Malfoy smirked beside him and all he felt like doing was shoving the idiot's wand somewhere it didn't belo—His thoughts were cut off when Snape flicked his wand and the ingredients as well as steps to follow were written on the board.

The whole class's jaws dropped for the second time. Snape was going to give them the steps AND ingredients? They had never, in all their five years, been _given_ anything by their potions master. He would give them the potion, they would find it in their text books and then try and decode whatever the hell it was talking about so they could try and present a somewhat passable potion. All the students seem to come to the same conclusion…The potions master had finally gone loopy. Maybe it was the mission he just came back from? Or maybe it was them…did they cause this?

"No talking, follow the directives and no questions." He turned on the spot and stalked off till he reached his desk. The potions master sat down rather stiffly and began grading papers.

Harry glanced over at Ron and they both shrugged, hey if Snape was going to give them directives they weren't going to complain.

Half an hour passed and Harry's potion was going surprisingly well, that is…until Malfoy started to talk.

"Potter," He whispered, Harry ignored him completely.

"Hey, Potter" he hissed again, and again Harry ignored him.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, the whole class turned their heads to take a look at the 'intruder', no one dared interrupt Snape's classes. Dumbledore walked into the class, pointy hat first.

"Professor Snape, I was wondering if I could have a word…"

"Of course Headmaster" Snape replied as if bored and walked to the door. He glared at the classroom, the evil in his stare turned on high, before sweeping out of the classroom. Everyone knew that that certain look was the Shut-up-do-your-work-and-if-I-catch-you-doing-anything-other-than-that-I-will-personally-hang-you-by-your-nostrils-in-the-dungeons, look.

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Severus walked out of class and shut the door behind him, on second thought he barred the door with a sound barrier, he didn't want them listening in on him.

"Severus, I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you are as fit as you say you are." Albus said with a little concern in his voice.

Severus sighed, why did everyone make such a fuss about him getting out of bed early? He healed quickly, why didn't anyone believe him?

"I'm fine Albus, as I told Miss Laurel, I'm in perfect health." Severus said with a little more aggression than needed; he cooled himself off, why was he so angry all the time?

"Alright Severus, I just wanted to be sure, Miss Laurel had just informed me that you had declared yourself healthy enough to leave without a second opinion."

"I'm fine." He growled again, Albus smiled softly at him.

"If you are sure, my boy." He was about to leave when Albus stopped him one more time.

"I have heard of certain…events you are to attend to this evening, please drop by my office after your lessons; am I right to assume you don't have any classes after this one?" What the hell was the old man talking about?

"Yes." Severus said slowly,

"Very good, do take it easy Severus, I'm sure you are still very tired."

Severus nodded and turned his back; he reached for the door knob and undid the sound barrier. As soon as the door was opened just the slightest bit the volume of noise almost pushed him back a couple of steps. There in the middle of the room stood the Slytherins and the Gryffindors, wands drawn and firing spells at each other. Oh no, they were _not_ going to do this in _his_ classroom.

"ENOUGH!" he roared causing his head to spin.

The entire class quietened at once, it seemed as though Miss. Granger was the only one not fighting, she was pulling at her friends sleeves trying to get them away from the opposing house. He couldn't BELIEVE the nerve of his students. At that moment he couldn't help but recognize the entire class as his students, at that moment he didn't see red and green he saw children, his children.

"What do you _think_ you are doing?" He hissed, he felt color rise to his cheeks, he was soo angry.

All the students simply stared at him as if he were the Dark Lord himself. Some students attempted to sit back down, wrong move.

"Did I say you could sit down?" he snapped and the students righted themselves in a second.

"Since you all find you must duel in my classroom, you will all be punished." He hissed again. Fury rolled off of him and the students closest to him cowered away. His limbs were shaking slightly and he felt like his head was going to explode. What possible punishment could he dish out to the entire classroom?

"None of you are going to attend to the next Quidditch match; you will all present yourselves in this classroom, understood?" The entire class gaped at him, he wasn't serious was he?

As if reading their minds he sneered, "When am I not serious?" the students eyes bulged out of their sockets and some of the Slytherins glared at him as if betrayed.

"You brought it upon yourselves, you all disappoint me. You have shamed your houses and your head of houses; do not even think for a second that you will get off scot free." He glared at each individual student as he said so.

"Professor McGonagall will be informed and will punish you all accordingly, as for you," Here he glared at each Slytherin, "I will decide the next step to your punishment." He was so sick of the fighting, why couldn't he have one classroom uninterrupted?

All the students looked at one another, so caught up in the injustice of Snape's punishment; they had simply forgotten the reason why they had been fighting in the first place.

"Any questions?" He sneered one last time, no one dared raise their hand not even Miss Granger and he noticed many of the girls were almost in tears. Did they actually find their punishment that horrible, or did he actually scare them that much? He received his answer when all eyes avoided him, most students were shaking were they stood. Were these children actually that afraid of him? He glanced at Potter, the boy who had faced Voldemort on countless occasions, had his head bowed and his eyes were wide, he looked skittish as if he were going to curse him at any second. Even Malfoy looked slightly taken aback, what? They had seen him angry before, why was this any different?

"You are all dismissed, get out of my sight." He said a little less aggressively, he was extremely disappointed in them. He thought most of them were idiots and dunderheads at best but he still believed they had potential and besides, when they were in his classroom he was responsible for them. When in his class, he expected them to behave, to do their work and to give their all. That's why he was so demanding, he wanted to push them to their limits, he wasn't demanding so he could see them walk like zombies into the Great Hall drinking coffee and such because they had spent most the night doing work.

No, he didn't do it to see them suffer; he wanted to know how far they could push themselves. How well they could apply themselves. And after all, when in his class they were all _his_students regardless which house they came from. True, he didn't like Gryffindor but that didn't mean he wasn't going to push them to their limits and see their true potential, if he really didn't like them, well, he wouldn't be so harsh. Everything was backwards with Severus Snape, when he didn't give a damn what they did, _that's_ when he didn't care for them.

He doubted they would understand that, oh well, _he_ would always know in the end that he did make a difference in their studies. And that's why instead of going to the Quidditch game they were going to do some extra study work for their OWL's. They would see it as torture but he would bet anything their scores on their tests were going to be the highest in most of Europe.

He noticed he was alone in the room and that all the students had scrambled out as quickly as possible, he remembered their scared faces, he wanted to tell them that he was doing it for their own good but the was no way in hell they would believe him.

He walked back over to his desk and looked in the mirror, his eyes still held fire. A fire that he doubted could be extinguished any time soon because that certain fire was anger, hatred and everything in between. Sometimes it was represented with ice, his eyes would go hard and freeze over, but not today, today they were a ball of heat. His hair hung limply from his head and his cheeks still had a tinge of pink, a reminder of his earlier anger. His teeth were bared in a snarl and his fists were clench.

He unclenched them slowly and looked away from the mirror, his stomach twisted; he looked exactly like his father. He supposed he was going to have to get used to it because he was in too deep now and his heart was still too frozen. He doubted that would ever change.

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Harry's heart was still beating rapidly in his chest; it was all Malfoy's fault. If he hadn't started up about Neville again then none of that would have happened. He realized his hands were still shaking, but it wasn't out of anger. Snape's face had actually scared him more then he would like to admit. The man could definitely give the students a fright. He had never seen Hermione almost in tears because of a teacher but she looked terrified.

The three walked quietly together until they reached their Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Hermione still looked a little spooked but Ron looked angry. Harry had calmed down a little but instead of feeling angry that Snape had taken away their Quidditch game, for the first time he felt ashamed. Many had pointed out that he had quite the temper and he was going to try and handle that. He had been doing pretty well since the beginning of the year but Malfoy's jabs at Neville broke his control. Other than that, he was just happy that the Slytherins got the same treatment.

They reached their last class of the day and walked in at the same time the Slytherins did, they glared at each other and the room went tense quickly. To escape the atmosphere Hermione bounced up to Professor Laurel's desk and wished her a happy birthday, as did Ron. So he ended up going to see her to.

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Severus knocked on Albus' door and awaited an answer. He had spent a long time wondering what Albus could possibly have meant about going out for the evening…

"Come in" Said a grandfatherly voice.

Severus walked in cautiously and gracefully walked over to a chair, he didn't need to be invited to sit anymore so he did automatically.

"Lemon drop?"

"No thank you Headmaster." Albus gave him a disapproving look.

"_Albus_" he corrected himself. Why did people always insist on first name basis?

Albus could tell Severus was getting antsy, so the boy really had no idea why he had called him there?

"Down to business as always right Severus?" he chuckled lightly, Severus didn't seem to be enjoying himself.

"Of course Headm—Albus" He said with a small amount of irritation. He really didn't want to be there, if the headmaster had called him to his office instead of simply telling him what was happening in his own quarters then it was going to be something he didn't want to hear.

"I understand you have an…outing this evening with Claire? That's very nice of you seeing as it's her birthday today…" he trailed off a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Medalling old man, how did he know about that? Damn, why would he care anyway? Had Claire told him? He was going to murder her. Albus was still looking expectantly at him.

"Believe me; I had no intentions of going out…" He said grudgingly.

"And how, may I ask, did you land yourself into that one?" Albus asked smiling, he honestly had no idea how Claire had managed it.

"None of your business." Severus snapped folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh come now, Severus! You know I have only your best interest in mind, maybe I can assist you." Albus said honestly, besides he did intend to 'help him' maybe not the way he wanted him to but help none the less.

The headmaster could get him out of this? Brilliant! This was perfect.

"She used the wizarding law against me; I'm in dept to her." He said with a sigh, what a mess. He, Severus Snape, was going on a date tonight.

Albus smiled, she was indeed a gifted witch. Most people overlooked that law and let it pass; most people didn't think it was necessary for them to be in debt. But obviously Claire wasn't 'most people'.

"I have just the thing for your date Severus."

"Please don't say that word." Severus said in reply, it still sounded too odd to say his name and that word in the same sentence.

Albus simply turned around and handed him a small stick, it almost looked like a mini version of his wand.

"What is this Albus?" Severus asked, holding the stick in front of a sceptical eye.

"Brake it in half when you get to your dating spot," he ignored Severus' glare as he once again said the offending word, " it will help, trust me."

Severus had a feeling he would rather not trust him, he also had a feeling this wasn't going to help him the way he wanted it to.

"Is this going to render her paralyzed so she won't fight back when I throw her into the lake? Other wise, I'm not sure it'll be any use to me." He sneered at the small object in his palm.

"It'll help Severus, now go get ready for your date, have you given her a time frame so she can get ready?" In truth, he hadn't even thought about the date all day, suddenly the worst possible thing happened. He got butterflies. Suddenly he was nervous, was he supposed to wear something nice? Wait, she couldn't see what would it matter? But wait, could she tell? But he didn't care right? so WHAT DID IT MATTER?!

Albus watched as the potions master's face paled considerably, he almost felt bad for the boy, only almost though. He knew Claire had taken a fancy to him, he hoped his potions master learnt to enjoy company and unfortunately for him this was the only way.

"You'd better go get ready Severus and don't forget to send her letter or something, she's a woman after all, she needs a time frame."

Severus nodded dumbly and headed through the door, Albus chuckled again. He knew exactly where they were going tonight, he wanted to give them their space but it just so happened that the tree which he was going to take her was just outside his window…

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Her class had ended rather uneventfully; she had given up trying to make the students work together that day, something had obviously happened for them to be so uncooperative. They had left grumpily and she headed to her rooms, she didn't know what time Severus intended them to leave so she thought she mind as well pick out her clothes and such before dinner.

She walked into the Great Hall later and sat at her usual place. She could hear Severus talking so she knew he was there; good, she needed to ask him when they were leaving.

She was in the middle of eating her chicken when she felt Albus rise beside her.

"Attention students," the entire hall went quiet. "As I'm sure you have all guessed, we have a celebration tonight." The school started whispering excitedly.

Claire was confused, what celebration? Suddenly there was a loud pop and a giant…cake? She smelt the air uncertainly, yes a cake popped in front of her. The hall cheered loudly and she smiled despite herself. She heard Albus chuckle and Severus grunt; well he was certainly being a party pooper.

She laughed delightedly when the school started to sing happy birthday to her. The teachers all joined except for one. Well, that was expected. All at once birthday cards and gifts all popped in front of her, she supposed the house elves had been told to do it.

She laughed when she realized they had written them in brail, as for the ones that weren't, well that was taken care of with a flick of her wand.

Most of them were very nice, wishing her happy birthday and happy wishes such as those, she had a couple more personal ones from student with whom she spent more time and then she finally came across one that she didn't expect to see.

-_Miss Laurel,_

_Seeing as you still insist upon a 'date' please do me the honour of being ready at eight o'clock sharp, do not be late._

_-SS_

She smiled for the tenth time that night, her gut twisted with tension but she knew her smile to be genuine. She glanced in his direction and felt his eyes on her; she winked at him and continued looking at her cards.

Severus watched as her cake and gifts appeared in front of her, for some odd reason he felt light and airy as he watched her open her gifts eat her cake. He did feel nervous but something about the way she always seemed so at ease influenced his nerves. He still didn't want to go on a date with her but for the time being he was just glad to be drinking pumpkin juice in the Great Hall rather than by himself in the dungeons…Wait, was he actually thinking that? There was no way he would rather be there with a school full of students and the woman who was the cause of his wasted time rather than by himself in his dungeons.

He watched as she read his card and surprisingly she turned and winked at him. Why did she do that? He hated her in that moment as every teacher stared at him. Damn, couldn't she be a little less obvious?

After about half an hour it was six thirty and he (grudgingly) needed to get ready for the night. He swept out of the Great Hall, ignored by many and headed for his rooms.

Once he arrived he took a shower, dressed in his similar black clothes and brushed his teeth. He hated that he did actually care what she thought about him. It was seven forty-five so he headed out of the dungeons towards her quarters, the small stick Albus had given him firmly tucked inside his pocket.

Claire was finally finished getting ready, she wanted to look nice for him. Contrary to what he thought of her, she took his opinion to heart. She had brushed her hair, taken a shower, brushed her teeth and put on a nice outfit. She once again put on the perfume that smelt of vanilla with a pin prick of fruit and touched herself up critically.

She had picked out a v-neck sweater and a pair of muggle jeans instead of robes. It was two minutes to eight and she was about to open the door when someone knocked form the other side.

She opened the door and heard silence on the other end.

"Severus? Well, as you can see I'm ready so where are we going?"

"All in due time." He said as casually as possible, his voice once again sent a chill down her spine and together they headed out towards the grounds.

A/N- Hey guys, I know you're probably disappointed that this wasn't the date chapter but I promise you, I will have it posted tomorrow as soon as possible, hope you liked it!! Thx guys.


	15. The Date

Chapter 15

They had reached the giant oak doors and pushed it opened with a small creak. The walk up till then was a silent one but Claire planned on changing that soon, she was simply waiting till they arrived were Severus wanted to go.

He held the door open for her, she smiled a little, he may not notice it but he was quite the gentlemen. The cool air touched her skin and she welcomed it. It was a beautiful night out, still warm but with a cool touch just enough to give her shivers.

It smelt like fall, she loved this scent, it was musky but dry. This smell helped expand her lungs and she felt as though she was breathing to her fullest. The wind picked up and she caught another whiff but this time stronger, well that was odd normally the smell outside was consistent never getting stronger or weaker. The wind picked up a second time and Severus took his place beside her, the smell got even stronger and her eyes fluttered from the intensity of it. It wasn't the smell outside, she noticed and her heart skipped a beat, it was _his_ smell.

She leaned in unconsciously and sniffed discreetly, oh yes, it was definitely him. She couldn't believe how good he smelt, and she couldn't believe he smelt like autumn. It didn't seem like him, she guessed he seemed to be the type who smelt…well she wasn't sure but nothing as good as this.

Her hand brushed the cuff of his robes as they walked down a hill and she almost stopped, it was so soft…what was he wearing? _Oh no_ she thought with dread, was he wearing something expensive, were they actually going to somewhere nice? She was definitely not wearing anything nice at all! Panic gripped her stomach and suddenly she felt extremely nervous again.

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Severus breathed in deeply, he hopped the night went well so he could get back to his dungeons and avoid her for the rest of his life. How dare she even start this? This was an outrage! He took another deep breath and let the smell of outside consume him so he didn't have to think about her, the woman walking beside him.

He had to admit it was a beautiful night; the moon was out and high in the sky without a cloud in sight. The trees were swaying slightly in the breeze and the leaves swirled around in the dark. The grass was glowing a luminescent green due to the moon light and he could see his tree along with the lake, the stars had already begun glittering off its surface. He sighed though because he knew she couldn't see it. He knew she would be impressed if she could but he also knew for a fact that she would think he were cheap for not talking her somewhere nicer then a tree outside on Hogwarts grounds, even though it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

Suddenly a horrible feeling spread through his chest, she wasn't going to like it. For some strange and annoying reason he wanted to turn around and run away, he wanted to hide back in his dungeons and yell at students for being stupid. Suddenly, he wanted to be anywhere but here, with her. There was no way she was going to like where he had picked, all the glory was in the sight and guess what? SHE COULD'T SEE! He felt sick and tried to convince himself that he didn't care that she didn't like it, he tried to tell himself that she would hate it, she would yell at him for bringing her to somewhere she couldn't even enjoy and that she had expected something else form him, something he wasn't sure he could give. And again, he tried to tell himself that he didn't care.

But the feeling wouldn't go away; she was going to hate him like everyone else. Yell at him like everyone else when he made a sarcastic comment or let out some dark humour. She was going to groan when he walked into a room or look at him as if he were less than her. She was going to be like everyone else and that's what he feared the most.

He began to fidget with his sleeve, was it getting hot out there or was it just him? The tree was approaching and the feeling of dread continued to creep into his chest.

What was he afraid of? Why was he acting like a fifteen year old boy again? Stuttering his words and embarrassing himself when he least needed it. Even if she did hate him, it wouldn't matter; no one liked him anyway so it would just be like before she even came to the school. But annoyingly he thought about how much his mind had wandered over to her since she had arrived. He had even permitted himself to think about her and not consider her completely useless. She had talent, she was smart and shared the same humour as him and---He stopped himself. There was no POINT! He was obviously just off his game and maybe the Dark Lord had hurt his head a little too badly this time? This was all nonsense; he finally decided he didn't care.

When he had finally decided that, he once again straightened his back and his shoulders went stiff. His face straightened not letting any emotion slip and his eyes turned blank not revealing anything. While they walked in silence he continued repeating a mantra in his head. _I don't care, she means nothing.__I don't care, she means nothing. I don't care, she means nothing_._I don't care, she means __noth__—_

They had arrived at the tree and he stopped dead in his tracks and put a sneer on his face. If she decided she didn't like where he had decided to come it was her fault and her fault alone, whatever she had seen or thought she had seen in him was all her imagination, better off getting the fairytale out of her mind now rather than later.

It seemed as though Claire had noticed his lack of movement and she too stopped, she turned and looked at him questioningly.

"Well this is it Miss Laurel, I hope you weren't expecting a palace." He sneered, but the dread continued to grip his chest till he thought he couldn't breathe anymore.

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Claire had noticed the way many different emotions were coming off of him. One thing was clear though, he did not want to be there with her. This put her out a bit, was she so detestable that he didn't want to be around her? She frowned slightly but he was too occupied to notice. She started to feel the rejection wash over her and she could tell by the prickling behind her eyes that she wanted to cry. No, she wasn't going to cry, hadn't she already decided that she was going to try even though she knew that in the end he would never want her? Hadn't she already decided that she was going to give it her fullest?

Claire viciously beat back her emotions and stood a little straighter; there was no way she was going to give in, not after he had almost died. She admitted to herself a while back that he did mean a little something more to her and she intended on discovering every aspect of him. He wasn't going to hide from her any longer.

Suddenly he stopped moving and she turned around, he was simply standing there and finally he spoke. The words he said split through her like ice, it hurt but she would never say it out loud.

"Well this is it Miss Laurel, I hope you weren't expecting a palace." He snapped at her, what was his problem? She reminded herself of her mission and brushed it off easily, now for the most interesting part of the evening…finding out where he had taken her.

She didn't bother gracing him with an answer and instead she spread her arms away from her. Her left arm hit something hard, her right hand hit air so she concentrated on the thing to her left. She touched its surface slowly feeling every detail. She quickly came to the conclusion that it was a tree, but not any tree. It was a willow, she almost laughed as a branch hung down so low it brushed her cheek lightly, she loved willow trees! It was fun to touch and pull on every branch hanging down low enough for her to grab it, other than the whomping willow, she really did enjoy them.

She noticed it a was a little chillier in that area then when she had first walked outside, that could only mean one thing… she walked slowly to her right and away from the tree only to stop short, her feet had touched water. She smiled so big she didn't know whether it would split her face in half or not. She bent down at the waist and her finger tips touch the water lightly. He had brought her to the lake, at night next to her favourite type of tree, it made her heart feel like a balloon it was so swollen. But then suddenly her world went crashing down, it was probably one hundred times better if she could see.

She decided it didn't matter because she was with him as her finger tips traced the water again, she was imaging what it would look like, her mind wasn't very creative but if she tried hard enough, she could barely picture were they were standing…and even that took her breath away.

She walked back towards him, leaned against the tree and slid down it, right before he she made contact with the ground she felt a warm soft blanket underneath her. He was so sweet and he didn't even notice, she thought as she fingered the soft fabric underneath her. He didn't join her on the blanket but she could feel his heavy gaze watching every move she made.

Seeing as he wasn't sitting next to her she decided to continue her imagination, she moved her fingers over the grass and marvelled at its softness. She continued to weave her hands around in the grass feeling each and every blade when she finally turned her gaze towards him. She took a deep breath and was about to reply when the wind picked up and she once again got a mind swirling sensation as his scent infiltrated her nose. She had to think about what she had been trying to tell him, her mind had went completely blank, everything didn't matter only his scent. Well this was definitely going to be something to overcome, she thought as a silly grin played on her lips. Was she going to lose her train of thought that way when he was around her? Well she was just going to have to hold her breath then because she intended on spending more time with him. How did he do that to her? How did he make her forget everything without even doing something? He was till staring intently at her so she decided she was going to have to say something.

"It's beautiful Severus." She whispered smiling at the grass she was still playing with. "Thank you…" she trailed away uncertainly. Suddenly she felt him sit down beside her and again she unconsciously leaned in a little closer, he must have noticed though because he shifted away from her. He remained silent so she decided she mind was well start.

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He was watching her every move, she had touched the tree and the water and now she was playing with the grass. Suddenly the dread started to loosen when he saw her smile at him. She had a nice smile…she opened her mouth as if to say something when the wind picked up and blew his hair in his face. Suddenly she closed her mouth and her eyes glazed over just the slightest bit, he wondered what had caused such a reaction in her. She smiled a crooked smile this time and looked away from him. Her hair and face were illuminated by the moon light casting a soft glow on her skin. Suddenly she spoke in a whisper so low he almost missed it.

"It's beautiful Severus…thank you" she said. He was completely taken aback, was she serious? She liked it? He didn't know what it was that flooded through his chest but he recognized relief quick enough. He was relieved that was all, how was this witch affecting him so much? It wasn't fair.

Well, she hadn't humiliated him so he decided it was time to get this over with. He swiftly sat down beside her on the blanket he had conjured underneath her before she sat down. It was black silk, one of his favourites.

He noticed her lean slightly in his direction and by reaction he slid away, he fingered the stick in his pocket, when was he supposed to use this again?

She turned to him, her deep blue eyes sparkling in the moon light.

"How are you Severus?" She asked with a smile.

"Ready to leave." he said bluntly, well he was telling the truth.

Her smile didn't falter as she continued to play with the silken blanket in one hand and with the grass in the other. Suddenly he decided it was a good time to bring out the mystery stick. He brought it out of his pocket and handed it to her, he had no idea what it was so he decided that she could play that to if she wanted to.

To his immense annoyance she did start playing with it. He watched as her fingers played with it carefully. And then suddenly she grabbed it with both hands and, before he could stop her, she cracked it in two.

Smoke emerged everywhere and he started to cough, his lungs were starting to hurt again but to his surprise he didn't hear her choke as well.

"You didn't know what that was did you?" she asked with a smirk, his lip curled and he sneered at her but other than that he didn't really have a reply.

"Didn't think so" she muttered, he growled quietly at her before he noticed a small basket in front of him. He opened it cautiously and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses that tinkled together as he brought them out.

Well, that was interesting… the stick actually held a basket of wine…how clever. He uncorked it magically and poured out two glasses, why not? He mind as well have a drink if he was going to have to endure the most horrid thing in the world…talking.

He handed her one carefully and took a sip, hmm…it wasn't bad actually. Albus had good taste after all, he thought. He heard a delighted squeak beside him and looked at her questioningly.

"This is just delicious! My favourite wine, how did you know?" Umm… right, how did he know again?

"That's alright Severus, Albus did this didn't he?" She didn't sound disappointed so he decided to answer truthfully.

"Yes, he thought it would…help." To his surprise she giggled lightly, why did everyone think these things were funny except for him?

Uh-oh, he was getting annoyed, she could sense that pretty good. Oh well, his problem she decided and took another swing of her wine.

After a glass and a half Claire started to feel a little braver with her date and decided she was going to start her questions.

"So Severus, what's your favourite color?"

"I beg your pardon?" he asked as if she had just asked a very rude and insulting question.

"What's your favourite color?" she repeated.

"I don't have one." He snapped, why did she care anyway? What a stupid question.

She could tell he was going to be difficult so she decided to help him.

"Alright fine, how about this, I'll ask you a question and it'll be a yes or no answer alright?"

He simply grunted in return and she sighed, couldn't he be a little more cooperative?

"Do you like blue?"

"No." _only when I see your eyes. _He thought.

"Green?"

"Yes." _…__Obviously_

"…Black?"

"Yes." _What kind of a stupid question was that?_

She had no idea what the colors looked like but she assumed it would be helpful to know...

"Do you like sweets?"

"No." _does it look like I eat sweets?_

"Not even chocolate?"

"No." _Yes, but you don't need to know that… _

"Do you like fruit?"

"Yes." _Of course, it's healthy. I'm not a sugar pumped student._

"What kind?"

"That wasn't a yes or no question." He growled at her.

"Ok, well were going to go with answers higher than a four year olds IQ ok?"

He growled at her again but didn't say anything. Oh boy he was being difficult.

"Forest or Ocean?"

"Ocean" _I hate animals…_

"Umm… Minerva or Filius?"

"Minerva." _Don't put him in the same room as me, he might come out squished._

"Coffee or tea?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Morning or night?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment.

"Night"

"Tea then." _Coffee is a must in the morning, how do you think I get by a day with students in my face?_

"I prefer tea myself…"

"How interesting…" _why do I care again?_

"You know, it isn't the end of the world having to talk to someone…" She said swirling her wine around in her glass.

"Yes it is." He said simply.

"Why?" she frowned at him, what could possibly be so horrible about talking to someone?

"None of your business." He snapped.

"Severus, you are on a date with me and you are going to have to talk to me whether you like it or not."

"I just simply do not enjoy socializing, it's pointless." He was confident with his answer.

"Do you believe in God or an afterlife?"

"No."

"Then life is pointless, so why live?"

_Damn it… she had a point._

"Not if you make a difference to those living." He said quietly, he would do anything in this life so that he could undo the wrong he did before he left.

"But what's the difference, they're all going to die someday too. When they're gone do you think they will care that you had spent your life making a difference?"

"Sometimes you have to think about what the difference will make now and not later when it won't matter."

"So why not make the difference when it really matters? Why not talk to the woman sitting next to you who is interested in what you are saying now and not what you are going to do or say in twenty years from now when it won't matter anymore?"

"Because I don't want to." He growled.

"We must all make sacrifices." She said mysteriously and laughed at herself. Whoa too much wine.

He sighed and looked at the moon, it was so bright and high in the sky…he wanted to go there, somewhere far away where nothing mattered.

He looked back at her; her cheeks were flushed slightly from the wine but other than that she looked positively beautiful. She was breathing in deeply and simply relaxed, maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought it was.

"What did you want to be when you were a child?" She asked in a whisper moving farther down the blanket until she was laying down, without even thinking he unwrapped his cloak and gave it to her. She smiled at him again and he felt warmth spread through him. She folded it neatly and put it behind her head so she didn't have to rest it on the ground.

Severus was starting to feel a lot more comfortable so he too relaxed and slid down the tree until he was lying down on the blanket, he propped himself on one arm to watch her.

"I wanted to be a doctor." He said sarcastically, he actually had no idea what a doctor was but he knew many muggle children wanted to be one.

She giggled and turned so she could face him.

"No, really Severus?" She laughed; he supposed the wine was starting to get to her because she couldn't stop laughing. Her laugh was contagious much to his dismay. The corners of his mouth started to twitch until he was smiling, the one true smile he had cracked in many, many years.

Suddenly she stopped laughing and turned towards him.

"I don't believe it, you're smiling aren't you!" she said with mock surprise.

"Of course not." He snapped a scowl firmly planted on his face.

She supposed she had ruined the moment but still continued to smile, she definitely liked being around him.

She had started to lean in closer to him again, it was starting to get chilly out and his body heat was calling to her.

Severus was staring straight ahead again, almost ignoring his company completely. He was lost in his imagination as he thought of how comfortable he felt around her, it just felt so natural that he didn't even mind the fact that she was using his cloak as a pillow. Severus was so relaxed he hadn't noticed her leaning in towards him.

She was getting so close now that she could almost feel his chest rising and falling, she smelt the air again and her mind went blank as it did before.

He just smelt so good!

She wasn't drunk or anything it was just that she was a little giggly and getting pretty tired. It was a bad combination. He was quiet but she didn't mind, the silence wasn't awkward anymore and she enjoyed hearing the beat of his heart as well as his breath coming in and out…

Without even realizing it she was only inches from his face, she could really smell him now…he was so close, what would it be like to kiss him?

Before she had even completed her thought Severus had turned his face at the wrong time.

Severus was pleasantly in his own world when he felt warm breath on his cheek, he turned his head and was met with big blue eyes right in front of his.

She. Was. WAY. Too. Close.

He practically jumped out of skin and stood up abruptly. This date was over, she could talk to him, fine, but when she was going to invade his personal space, it was too much, too soon.

"I believe it is getting late," he said hurriedly, " I… must return to my work and prepare for the day tomorrow." He was about to leave when he turned one last time.

"Happy Birthday, Claire." And with that he turned on his heel and headed back to the castle leaving Claire alone on his silken black blanket with his cloak still under her head.

A/N- Hey Guys! Thx so much for all your reviews they mean a lot to me! I really hope this chapter didn't disapoint anyone...I finished it tongiht even though I was supposed to be in bed an hour ago...anyway, I really hope you guys liked it, tell me what you think! Thx guys!


	16. Special Tea

Chapter 16

Oh no, she'd screwed up her date. She felt pretty bad about invading Severus' personal space, in her defence she hadn't meant to. She tried to blame it on the wine but deep down inside she knew she had wanted to get closer to him. His scent was so alluring and she did have a little too much wine. If anything, the alcohol had simply made her act upon her desires but now she was starting to regret it.

He was right, she had moved to fast. Was she ashamed of what she'd done?

…Not really.

Did she regret it because he had ended the date?

No, she was regretting it because he had started to relax around her, she was getting close to breaking his shell but she had sealed it up herself. She was still outside, it was getting cold out and she wanted to go back in but instead she took her time to fold the blanket and the cloak he had left behind him. Suddenly she remembered when he had unhooked his cloak and given it to her. He really was a gentleman, she thought as a warm feeling spread through her stomach when she remembered his haste to give her a pillow.

Once the garments were tucked securely under her arm she walked back up to the castle, she noticed that she already missed his scent. She opened the Giant Oak doors and walked inside, almost all the lights were out so she crept to her rooms and locked the door behind her.

She was really tired and couldn't remember what time it was…oh well, she was bound to be tired tomorrow anyway. She had been having dreams about him the last while, again, she sounded like a school girl but at the moment she didn't care; their first date was complete, now she had to find a way to introduce another one. She knew he wouldn't fall for one so easily the next time…this was going to take planning.

She walked over to her bed and sat down lazily, draping his garments over the other side of the bed. She quickly changed out of her clothes and into her night ware, without hesitation she slid under the covers and shifted into her favourite position. She slid her arms up and down the cool fabric of her sheets until she hit a softer material. Hmm…It was his cloak.

She curled her fingers around it and pulled it closer. She buried her head in the cloak and inhaled deeply, she felt silly but it was worth it. His smell still lingered there. Her eyes started to drift and she fell asleep with his scent on her mind.

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It had been several weeks since Severus had last spoken to Claire, he hadn't gone out of his way to talk to her and she had only done it once to return his cloak and his blanket. He was extremely annoyed. Every time he taught his classes, talked to Albus even when he was faced with the Dark Lord himself he was thinking of her. Her eyes and smile played across his mind over and over and he was extremely irritated. What was wrong with him? Better question; what was wrong with her? What was it about her that held his attention so much?!

It was now nearing the Halloween feast, October had gone by very quickly but he had finally come up with the ingredient missing from his pain potion. It was lizards liver…who knew? Once he had started fixing up his potion it had all come together, his lab rat, much to his disgust, endured a tremendous amount of pain but didn't suffer the effects physically. He had presented it to the Dark Lord and had the 'honour' of having it tested on him first. Yes, it was more painful than the cruciatus curse but he wasn't hurt physically so he didn't have to endure Poppy's torture as well. The Dark Lord was being 'merciful' and only made Severus drink half of the vial, it hurt like hell and he feared what the effects would be when the victim drank the whole bottle.

He shivered in dismay and continued brewing his potions for the infirmary. It was midnight and he had to start his nightly rounds very soon so he bottled up the last potion for the night and swept out of his rooms. The sound of his heels clicked heavily throughout the halls and soon he was lost in a daydream. He continued walking and was soon headed towards the astronomy tower. He walked up the steps absentmindedly; once he arrived he walked over to the end of it. Severus gently crossed his forearms and placed them on the window sill, his eyes gazed out onto the grounds. He inhaled deeply, the fresh air was doing him some good, it wouldn't do for someone to see the evil snarky potions master enjoying the moonlight but he couldn't help himself, besides no one was around…

His headache slowly lifted and his shoulders relaxed as he watched the stars glitter off the lake. Suddenly the one memory he didn't want to think about crossed his mind, his eyes traveled the grounds till they rested on the small willow tree closest to the water. He remembered that night and how he had reacted, he wasn't sure whether he was angry at himself for not leaving sooner of for leaving at all… He was so confused and didn't know what to think anymore, she was quite an…interesting witch and for some odd reason she seemed to enjoy his company, what on earth could have possessed her to enjoy that? He hadn't a clue but--- suddenly his train of thought derailed as he heard someone coming up the stairs.

So a student was out of bed? Well then it was time for him to disappear into the shadows only to reappear moments later when they had thought they were safe from teachers. In one quick movement he was hiding in the shadows at the back of the tower when the footsteps got louder. They echoed all the way up the stairs and he waited.

Suddenly the person emerged from the stair way and turned quickly wand pointed in his direction, right at his heart.

It wasn't a student.

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Claire had been tossing and turning all night, why couldn't she sleep? Suddenly she felt sick and sweat dripped from her forehead. She must be coming down with a cold or something; she dismissed it but thought that some fresh air would do her some good. She stepped out of bed and regretted it immediately, her stomach rolled and she gasped for breath, not good. Once she had calmed her stomach she walked through her doors until she reached the hallway. She was going to head towards the entrance hall but decided that walking around would help calm her stomach and clear her mind. Suddenly she knew where she could go, the astronomy tower was an open area so she supposed it would do her some good to go up there.

She walked bare foot in the halls, the cold tiles feeling good on her burning feet. She finally found the stairs and started to climb, it was a long way up and she felt herself get winded by the time she got halfway. Suddenly she heard someone moving, wait were there two people or just one? Her head was swimming and she didn't think she was thinking things over effectively, her ears were ringing making it difficult for her to hear. She needed fresh air and soon.

Claire stumbled all the way up the rest of the stairs, she knew someone was up there but she didn't care she just needed to breath in the night air. She finally reached the top and whirled around when she felt a presence beside her, suddenly she was scared, who was it? And what were they doing up so late? She whipped out her wand and pointed it wear her ears picked up a heartbeat. But suddenly she recognized the presence, it wasn't hard after all… she had spent a while trying to remember every detail of him.

"Severus?" she asked weakly.

"Yes." he hissed at her.

"Damn it, Severus you scared me!"

"That isn't my fault!" He said.

She was about to reply that, yes; it was his fault, when her head whirled again. She stumbled over to the window and stuck her head out into the night. She inhaled deeply and she was right, the cool air was helping clear her head but it didn't settle her stomach. Suddenly her knees buckled and she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her middle.

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When Severus finally realized it was only Claire, he let out a breath he had been holding.

"Severus?" he heard her voice, it sounded odd as if her throat were sore.

"Yes." He hissed at her, he had forgotten she couldn't see him. He hadn't meant to snap.

"Damn it, Severus you scared me!" she exclaimed loudly, all his pity for lashing out at her vanished; it wasn't his fault she was up at midnight, almost one in the morning.

"That isn't my fault!" He snapped at her. Suddenly she practically threw herself to the window he had been looking out of only moments before. He watched and noticed for the first time how pale she was. There were small beads of sweat on her forehead and she clutched at the window sill till her knuckles turned white. He watched as she took deep breaths and realized she was only in her nightgown, well that wasn't very smart of her if she was sick. Suddenly her knees buckled and purely out of reaction, he grabbed her around her middle and supported her. She raised a hand to her head and groaned softly, ah, so she _was _sick.

Once she regained her balance he quickly let go of her and returned his arms firmly to his sides.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"There is nothing to apologize for Claire." Damn, he shouldn't get used to calling her that.

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He had said her name, she was grinning despite how sick she felt and stumbled a little to her left. A strong arm gripped hers and she was suddenly being pulled down the stairs.

"Severus, were are we goi—"

"Shh" She huffed in annoyance, how dare he shush her!

But her stomach was churning and she didn't respond. His grip was like ice on her skin, she felt like she was internally combusting or something, why was her body on fire?

Suddenly they stooped and she felt his cold palm on her forehead.

"You're sick." Was all he said. No she wasn't! She had to teach the next day she wasn't ALLOWED to be sick. They had passed her quarters and she had barely noticed it, her legs were starting to feel weaker and Severus had to hold her more firmly so she didn't fall while they were walking.

She was sure it was costing him a great deal to be touching her but she appreciated it, if he weren't holding her up she probably would have fallen on her face at least three times over. Suddenly it started getting colder and it felt so good she wanted to stop so she could lean her face against the cold stone walls. But Severus probably wouldn't let her; she was starting to feel like a student again. They reached a door and she assumed it was the ones to his classroom. They walked inside and he moved her across the room avoiding the desks until they reached the door to his office. To her complete surprise they didn't stop there, they continued until they reached the last door._ He's going to let me into his quarters?_ She thought in disbelief.

Suddenly the comforting arm supporting her left quickly and he ushered her through the door.

"Sit" he ordered, and sit she did. She was sitting on the most comfortable couch she had ever had the pleasure of sitting on. But suddenly her head starting swimming again and her stomach heaved. She put a hand to it and rubbed her stomach trying to calm it, she tried to listen to see if she could hear what Severus was up to but her ears were still ringing. She heard a lot of clanging and then he finally returned.

"Drink this." A cup of something warm was pressed into her hands, she smelt it uncertainly.

"It's not poisoned." He snapped.

"The students would disagree." She answered with a shaky smile but sipped it anyway.

She inhaled sharply as warmth spread through her chest; her stomach was soothed almost instantly. Her mind cleared up and suddenly she was able to concentrate again.

"Mmm, thank you what was that?"

"Tea." he answered truthfully.

She felt loads better now, so she took another sip, if it was in fact tea, it was very good.

She felt the couch dip and she realized he was sitting on the opposite side, quite far away from her, she noticed. It seemed as though he had tea to because she could smell it.

"Would you mind terribly if I looked around?" she asked uncertainly.

"Why not? You've already invaded my personal living quarters." He sighed. She smiled at him and stood up, her cup of tea still in her hand. She walked over to the wall were her wand indicated a book shelf and she ran her fingers along the spines of them. With a quick wave of her wand the names of the books instantly turned into brail. She felt around the spines of each one, she could feel his gaze on her but she didn't mind terribly, they were his quarters after all.

She finally picked out a book on defence and walked back to her spot. She sank down cautiously so as not to spill her tea and cracked it open.

"I hope those return to their original state when you're finished." He sneered at her, referring to the brail.

"Of course they will, it's only temporary." She stated mater-of-factly.

She began reading the first few lines and already she had to put it down.

"Was this Defence book actually used as a text book for the students?"

"Yes" he answered shortly.

"That's horrible,_ I_ almost fell asleep reading it!"

"Unfortunately, we must all make sacrifices." He said with a smirk.

What did that mean? He had used the same line she had during their date; did that mean…No it couldn't mean he was willing to have conversations with her did it? No, that couldn't be it.

"All expect the infamous Snape right?"

"That sounds about correct, what house were you in again?"

"Ravenclaw." She said slowly, what did it matter what house she came from?

"Ten points to Ravenclaw then." How childish, she gave him a sour look.

"And twenty from Slytherin for treating me like a child."

"Ah, but you see, I am older then you therefore you cannot take points from my house." He smirked at her again and she scowled.

"Just because you are older doesn't mean…well it doesn't mean anything!" She said stubbornly.

"How very intelligent Miss Laurel, I'm surprised you have managed to teach Longbottom anything for you seem to have the same IQ."He said slowly. She was about to answer but her response got stuck in her throat; she loved it when he spoke like that… She finally cleared her mind and took a sip of her tea before answering.

"Your simple minded insults don't affect me in any way, and for you information, Neville is a very bright boy." He snorted at that and she smirked at him.

"Honestly, I would have expected a better judgment from the likes of you."

"Oh, Really?"

"Really" he drawled.

"And why, may I ask, is that?"

"Because you are teaching Defence classes for all years at Hogwarts, if you don't have a good sense of judgment then who knows how bad off our students will be…"

"And as a potions master teaching all years at Hogwarts, it's too bad you frighten them all so much that they won't even live to graduate." She teased.

"I do that for their own good." He growled at her.

"Oh really Severus, a first year entered my class the other day and I had to dismiss him to the washroom because he had wet himself coming out of your class." She said disapprovingly.

Suddenly she noticed that his face twisted into a smirk. How dare he laugh! It wasn't funny to scare a student so bad they had to be excused to the washroom.

"Severus! Honestly, you shouldn't be proud of that!"

"And why not?"

"Because, it isn't good for their health!" She finished rubbing her temples; he was beginning to frustrate her. Her headache was coming back so she sipped some more of his tea, wow that was some good tea.

"And who was this first year?" he asked

"Zackary Kennan."

"Ah, I believe he is in Hufflepuff?"

"Yes" she said slowly, why was that important? Suddenly he chuckled; it was a deep rich sound. She wished it wouldn't end, the sound vibrated through her and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"I think I can safely say he didn't…wet himself because I had frightened him. He may have been afraid of me but I believe the cause for his 'accident' was because I didn't allow him to leave my class to use the facilities."

He started to chuckle again and this time she joined him. She was smiling herself silly but her eyes were starting to droop. What time was it anyway? She didn't care this was the most entertaining conversation she had had for a while; she knew he had it in him.

They continued talking for a while, her tea cup was empty and the open book of defence still lay on her lap. After an hour she showed herself out and thanked him for the tea. She didn't dare thank him for the pleasant conversation for fear of him taking it the wrong way. It was already hard for him to talk and she didn't want to jeopardize their friendly relationship with her 'senseless babbling' as he would call it.

She crept back to her quarters and went to bed feeling almost one hundred times better then when she left it. Her heart felt light as she thought about their evening, it was so unexpected but very welcome. Who knew she would get sick and something productive would come of it? She wondered if he would object to her coming to visit again… She hoped he wouldn't, she was really enjoying talking to him; he was actually quite funny even though people didn't notice.

She went over the night in her head one last time and suddenly she heard his chuckle in her mind. He hadn't actually laughed but it was definitely a start. She wanted desperately to be able to see him smile, she had a pretty good mental image from sensing the way his face muscles moved but they weren't good enough. For once in her life she was disappointed with her lack of sight; normally she would simply brush it aside and continue with her day as though it didn't affect her. But not this time, this time she wanted to see his smile, she wanted to see his eyes, his nose…his lips. She wanted to see him.

One stray tear leaked out of the corner of her eyes as sadness suddenly filled her heart. The sad reality was that, no, she would never see him. She would never see his smirks or his sneers, she would never get to see his face when he made a sarcastic comment or insulted her in a way most people would find humiliating. Suddenly more tears leaked out of her eyes but she simply whipped them away and waited until sleep overcame her.

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She had left fifteen minutes ago and he was still sitting in the same spot. He reflected upon the evening and the corners of his mouth turned up when he remembered there heated conversations about students, studies, even co-workers. But the worst part of it all was that he _had _enjoyed it, just like she said he would. He still thought conversation and pointless socializing was a waste of his time but it didn't seem like that when he talked to her. He would make fun of her and insult her and she just sat there and practically laughed at each one. He shook his head slowly, she shouldn't find it funny, by all means she should have left his rooms screaming at him for being insensitive and heartless, but she hadn't.

He got up and walked over till he reached his bedroom; his mind was swirling around in his head revolving around her face. He couldn't help but remember the way her face lightened up when she found his insult funny or when she had thought of one in return. She had only been in a night gown, and he wondered why she wasn't cold, it was always freezing down there. He climbed into bed once he was finished getting ready and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

A/N- Hey guys, wow I'm really glad you're all sticking with my story, makes me happy :) Anyway, it's going to have a snowball effect now. Their first date is over so you'll see that the story is going to move faster in means of Severus and Claire. Their second date is probably going to come within the next two to three chapters I'm guessing. but who knows I could make it sooner! Thx for reading guys!


	17. The Start of Many Evenings

Chapter 17

Claire was sitting at her desk, eyes dropping and a cup of tea in her hand. It wasn't anywhere near as good as Severus' tea but it was keeping her awake. It seemed as though his tea had cured whatever illness she had had; maybe that was how he was never sick? She had heard the students talking about how Severus had never taken a sick day…Hmm she would definitely need to find out more about that.

She listened lazily as her afternoon class came clambering in. It was Neville's class, it seemed as though the house points and detentions she had appointed the Slytherins weren't stopping them from picking on him. Throughout that last few weeks the necklace she had given him was alerting her none stop. She had tried to tell Neville that it was no big deal and that she would always be there to help him but that only seemed to discourage him more, so she had an idea.

As soon as her whole class was seated she waved her wand exaggeratedly and the whole class burst out in angry exclamations.

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Harry was watching his professor drink her tea, her eyes half lidded. Suddenly she stood up and waved her wand in what seemed to be an extremely odd fashion. Suddenly everything went black, in his surprise; Harry almost fell off his chair. He heard the other students yelling and supposed that the same thing had happened to them. Unlike what he usually would have done Harry decided to stay seated and wait for further instructions instead of trying to find Ron and Hermione through the darkness.

"Quiet please." His professor said calmly, no one listened.

"Everyone quiet down." Eventually the girls stopped screaming and the boys stopped yelling at each other.

"What do you think happened?" She asked, everyone yelled something at the same time, even the professor didn't seem to understand. It seemed as though many students believed the lights had been shut off.

"Raise your hand please."

"But how will you see it?"

"I believe that was a stupid question Mr. Malfoy." Harry couldn't help but laugh, who knew Malfoy, could honestly say something so unintelligent?

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"You've cast a blinding charm on us Professor?"

"Very good Miss Granger, ten points to Gryffindor." There weren't any more complaints throughout the classroom from the opposing house because they had learnt that Professor Laurel didn't stand for it.

Suddenly there was a movement in the air and he could see again, the classroom was bright and it stung his eyes. Professor Laurel was now standing in front of the classroom, her arms crossed over her chest and her wand dangling from her right hand.

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She smiled at them, that must have been quite a shock. The class was quiet no doubt waiting for an explanation.

"Very soon this charm will be applied to you every time you enter this classroom and then removed when you leave." Exclamations of horror were heard throughout the classroom but she raised a hand and silenced them.

"We will not begin today but this week sometime you will all be blind, as blind as I am throughout the lesson. You will learn how to walk, how to listen, how to feel, how to attack and how to defend yourself while one of your senses is unavailable." Here she looked specifically at Neville; she was going to teach the boy how to defend himself when someone came unexpectedly.

"Today we will start off with one person at a time so you can get used to it."

She beckoned Hermione to the front of the class. The girl got up and walked down cautiously seemingly nervous but joined her teacher's side none the less. The class watched as she once again moved her wand in complex patterns, Hermione's eyes glazed over slightly and the class watched amazed as she stood completely still, probably afraid to move thinking she would fall over.

Claire fetched a small vial; it was unique with specific designs on it.

"What do you see?" she asked quietly but loud enough for the class to hear.

"Black" She answered. Good, that's what she wanted to hear. She handed Hermione the vial and class watched with rapped attention.

"What do you see now?"

She ran her fingers over the vial several times but shook her head.

"I don't see anything, I still see black."

Try harder Miss Granger; try using your mind's eye instead of your actual eye.

Something seemed to click in her Hermione's mind because she rocked slightly on her heels. Her fingers ran over the vial several more times.

"I see a potions vial, about five inches high with a floral design on the side and on the bottom."

"Very good Miss Granger, that was perfect." The class murmured excitedly around her.

"Now let's test your hearing." Hermione stopped rocking and seemed perplexed.

"Actually, let's take another student. Mr. Smith?" She called and Hermione returned to her desk. She liked the Slytherin she had called upon; he was respectful and kept to himself.

"Are you ready Mr. Smith?" he nodded so she waved her wand in complex moves once again. Ben claimed the same solid form as Hermione had when she could no longer see.

"What do you see?"

"Black." The boy said quietly.

She clapped her hands loudly and Ben stumbled a couple paces back.

"Whoa." Was all the boy said she sensed him raise his arms to his head and rub his ears.

"What did you see?"

"Well, nothing." The boy said, she didn't sigh; she was going to be patient with them.

"Once again, use your mind's eye and not your actual eye."

She clapped loudly again but this time the boy didn't stumble.

"I-I saw your hands, well, sort of."

"Explain." She said

"I couldn't see anything but when you clapped, I'm guessing the sound waves sort of illuminated its surroundings to a certain point…" the boy trailed away uncertainly.

"Correct, am I right to assume that you saw a sort of shadow of my hands? As in their shape and their movement for a few seconds?"

"Yeah…" Ben said.

"Very good, you may take a seat Mr. Smith. As you can see, there are ways in which you can protect yourself or simply live without one of your senses…you will not be completely useless."

The class simply regarded her quietly. No one had spoken but she was sure many of them were not very happy about her knew project. Oh well, they were going to have to get used to it. She knew this technique was going to be very useful someday. She was going to begin blinding them in two days for everyday of her class for a month's time. They would do their work, they would learn to read brail and above all learn how to attack and defend using only their other senses. It would help them be more alert and help with their reflexes. But they didn't have to worry; she was going to do this test with the sixth and seventh years as well.

The rest of the period she let them work on projects due for their classes because they had handed hers in that day, she was going to have a lot of grading to do that night.

She sat at the high table during dinner, the next day was the Halloween feast and then it was November, where was the time going? Claire was twirling her pasta around in her plate lost in thought.

She had a lot of work to do that night, she still hadn't found a way into getting Severus to take her out again and worst of all the 'pranks' on Neville were becoming worse. She had caught the same seventh years and Malfoy ganging up on him several times, their attacks were starting to get more often and their hexes were getting worse. She assumed they had figured out by now that simple charms didn't work because of the necklace, but they had also figured out that it wasn't strong enough to block out the more powerful spells they had learnt from their fifth year and up. She had also assumed that they had been teaching Malfoy some of their darker spells or had he known them all along? She had heard of his father, Lucius Malfoy, and she instantly didn't like the man. She had only found out recently that he was a Death Eater, all she knew about the man before was that he was an ass kissing ministry official. Well, she intended on meeting with the man, Death Eater or not, his son was bullying another student.

The only reason she hadn't interfered with Harry and Draco was because she was told by another student that when their fights started it was wise to break them up but otherwise not to interfere.

Well, the battles between Harry and Draco were obviously double sided but not in Neville's case. Neville, she could tell, didn't want to fight back, for whichever reason she had no idea. She only knew that the boy just wanted to be left alone and she was going to see that he was.

She was dimly aware that Minerva had begun talking to her but thankfully caught on before she missed the point completely.

"…your classes coming along?"

"Oh very well thank you, Minerva" She said still playing with her spaghetti. For some reason she didn't feel like socializing that day. Normally she was quite the chatter box but not that day, she was tired and she wanted to get her work done early so she could go to bed.

Minerva thankfully got the hint and turned to her other side so she could converse with Severus instead. _Good luck_ she snorted, she knew Minerva had known him longer than her but she doubted he liked talking to her any more then he liked talking to anyone else.

She really didn't feel like eating or being in anyone else's company so she stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, she felt eyes watching her the whole way out but she was too tired to care. She reached her rooms and quickly gathered all of her papers from her office, intent on bringing it to her rooms so she could grade it on her bed when suddenly there was something small stopping her way.

"Sorry Mistress, but Winky and other house elves must clean Mistress' rooms."

"That's quite alright Winky, my rooms don't need cleaning, I—"Suddenly she felt a swirl around her and she was in the hallway. Her door slammed behind her and she dropped her paper work so she could beat on the door. She knocked loudly and let out a frustrated growl.

"Winky! Open the door! I have work to do." She finished in a whine. She slid down to the floor and picked up her papers.

"Kicked out?" Came a deep voice.

"Yes." She admitted grudgingly, she was starting to get grumpy.

"Having a bad day are we?"

"No, I'm just tired Severus." She snapped.

She felt him smirk but to her surprise he bent down and picked up half of her papers for her.

"I suppose you can do your work in my quarters as I have some to do myself." He sighed as if her presence in his room was going to cost him a great deal.

"Really?" she asked him sceptically.

"Really." He droned.

"Thank you." She said sincerely, she didn't feel like talking much but somehow she didn't think he would mind.

They walked silently together until they reached his quarters. She must not have noticed last time, but she heard him murmur his password, she hadn't caught it in time…oh well. She suddenly remembered that she didn't have a password for her quarters…she was going to have to find one quickly, she wondered if she could keep the house elves out that way.

She chose that moment to ask him that.

"No, the house elves will be able to get in regardless, trust me." Ha added annoyed. Damn…oh well she supposed she could ask Albus if he could tell them she was very capable of cleaning her rooms without any help.

Once inside he offered her a seat on his couch again but this time she took her place on the floor so she could work on the coffee table. He stood behind her just staring.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, he didn't sound too angry so she didn't change her position and sit on the couch as he had offered.

"It's easier for me to work on a table rather than on my knees sitting on a couch."

"You could always sit at the table in the dining room." He sighed rubbing his temples.

"No, your rug is actually quite soft so I think I'll be fine here." He sighed again and she heard him leave the room. She found a quill on the table, funny; it wasn't there a moment ago…

She picked it up and separated her piles according to year. She only asked the fourth till the seventh years to complete a project due on that day so she had four piles of projects to correct in one night. Oh boy, another long night.

She heard some clanking in the kitchen again and suddenly Severus appeared with two cups of tea. She was secretly hoping it was the same tea as the night before, she really enjoyed that, she had a headache anyway and was hoping it would make it go away.

He silently handed her a cup and she sipped it gratefully. It was the same tea as the night before! She smelt it carefully letting the aroma south her headache and to her surprise he sank down gracefully onto the floor in front of her.

"What are_ you_ doing?" she asked him. Severus Snape was sitting on the floor, what had the rug done to be worthy of such an honour?

"Well, I do not wish to be rude, you are in my quarters after all. So if you wish to sit on the floor I guess that I will also." He said in a dismissive tone. Well, she guessed that he was right, if a student sat down on her floor and was working on her coffee table she would do the same. She shrugged and placed all her piles in alphabetical order according to name. She tapped each pile and at once they all turned into brail. She noticed there was another pile of paper besides hers and supposed it was Severus' work. He was also correcting papers; all that was heard for many minutes was the scratching of quills. The odd comment of 'interesting' or 'simply idiotic' was heard quietly as both teachers graded their student's projects.

She almost smiled and she probably would have if she were in a better mood, who knew Severus talked to himself? It certainly wasn't _her _mumbling comments. Suddenly the door was tapped lightly and she heard Albus from the other side.

"Severus, are you there?"

"Yes, come in Headmaster." He said not even looking up from his work.

The door opened a crack and Albus walked in but stopped short when he noticed both his teachers were sitting on the floor.

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Albus needed to talk to Severus about the Halloween feast; he wanted his potions master to attend. He never did, but Albus asked him to come every year.

He had finally made his way to the dungeons and murmured the man's password. He slipped into his office and knocked lightly on the door to his quarters.

"Severus, are you in there?"

"Yes, come in Headmaster." Came the muffled reply.

He opened the door and walked in but he stopped short. Where was he? He looked past the couch and saw Clair and Severus on either side of the coffee table, their noses stuck deep in their papers.

"What's all this about?" he asked good naturedly, it was just the funniest sight he had seen in a while. Severus looked like a student again, he remembered a fifteen year old boy sitting on one leg with the other one outstretched underneath a table doing his work. The sight before him was almost the exact same except with an older man. He was still sitting on one leg with the other one underneath the table, his cloak draped around him.

"We're having a study night." Claire answered sarcastically. He shifted his gaze to her, she was sitting straight with both legs underneath the table, her face still stuck in her work. He smiled softly at them, he still couldn't believe Severus was sitting on the ground.

"What was it that you wanted Headmaster?" Severus said harshly, he didn't snap at him but that was only because he was the headmaster and deserved respect. Albus simply suspected he had respect for his elders not because he was an authority figure.

"I wanted to know whether you would be attending the feast tomorrow."

"Of course not Albus, you know I never attend."

"Why not?" Claire piped up.

"Because," he started with an annoyed tone "It is simply an event I would rather miss." Claire shrugged, it didn't seem like she was willing to argue with him that night. He took a closer look at his defence teacher, she looked very tired, circles of blue lined the bottom of her eyes and she looked paler than usual.

"Alright that was all I needed to know, thank you Severus."

"Good evening, Headmaster"

"Good evening to you to Severus, Claire" He turned on his heel and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him.

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The rest of the evening went by in complete silence other than the scratching of quills. Severus was so deeply rapped in his work that he hadn't noticed that the other quill had stopped writing. After several minutes he raised his head and looked across the table. Claire's head was lying against a pile of her work, her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly. He smirked at her, wow; she must have been really tired. Her quill was falling out of her hand and her chest was rising and falling softly. He put down his work and stood up, wrong move. His back ached and his legs were numb from sitting on the floor. He turned to the clock and realized it was almost midnight, no wonder she had fallen asleep.

He walked over to her and spoke softly so he didn't startle her. He didn't know how she would react from being woken up, some people freaked out and he didn't feel like getting smacked in the face by a flailing arm.

"Miss Laurel?" Nothing.

"Claire? Wake up." Nothing, again.

He sighed; well, she wasn't going to stay here. He bent down and picked her up. She wasn't awake so it didn't matter whether he touched her, for some reason he found it easier to touch people when they didn't know he was doing it. He pulled her out from under the table and then scooped her up into his arms. She didn't wake up, good; he would have put her back down if she did. He charmed her papers to follow them out and he headed for her quarters.

She was really light so it wasn't hard to climb the steps to get to the main level; her head was starting to loll back so he shifted his arms so that her head was supported against his shoulder. Her head was still falling much to his annoyance so he tucked her head under his chin. There, now it wouldn't move.

Claire had woken up once he had scooped her into his arms but she didn't dare make a move. She knew he wouldn't carry her if he knew she were awake. She continued to breathe deeply and he fell for it.

She was in heaven; she inhaled deeply and smelt him to his strongest. Her mind had actually fogged so quickly she hadn't anticipated it and her head fell back. She felt him shift so that her head was rested against his shoulder; she was so comfortable she wished she could just sleep like this, not that he would ever let her. His grip was so strong and his chest was very warm, she wanted to hug him around the neck but she knew he would put her down immediately. She wondered what he would do if her head fell again...

She let her head fall back again and what he did almost made her gasp in surprise, he put his chin on the top of her head. Discreetly she moved her head so it was in the crook of his neck…oh yes; this was now officially her favourite spot to be in. His smell was even stronger here and she let it engulf her senses. Suddenly her crummy day didn't seem so bad.

They had reached her quarters and she knew the house elves were gone because he was able to open the door and not be kicked out. He walked with her in his arms until they reached her bed. He was putting her down and she almost gave herself away by grabbing his neck and asking if he could just hold her a little longer…

Right before he left she summoned up her courage and pretended to have just woken up.

"S-Severus?" she said sleepily.

He was still leaving, damn.

"Hey Severus, wait a moment." She said still sounding sleepy.

She heard him stop and turn slightly.

"Do you think we could do that more often?"

"Do what Miss Laurel? Have you fall asleep while doing your paper work?" he whispered.

"Meet, up and do our work?" she left out 'together' because she thought if he heard the word he might run away screaming.

He seemed to hesitate a while and had finally come to a conclusion.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt…"

"Thank you, Severus" She whispered back.

He didn't answer but she heard him close the door behind himself.

A/N- Hey guys, I'm excited to write the next chapter but unfortunately I have to work tomorrow, so I won't be able to post another chapter till after tomorrow. About two more chapters till their second date! Hope you're all exited! lol thx guys let me know what you think.


	18. Just Ask Her

Chapter 18

Several days had passed and all Claire could think about was her evenings with Severus. Almost every night for the past few days, they had met up in his quarters, drinking tea, talking and grading tests. She was really starting to get used to his company, a lot of the time their evenings were spent in a comfortable silence. The only sounds were the scratching of quills and murmured comments fluttering across the air from time to time.

Some evenings they would simply talk, they would insult each other, they would brag about their brilliant students and they would have heated conversations about pretty much everything. Claire was feeling a little giddy, she had found out quite a bout about the potions master, he would let things slip without meaning to. She never drew attention to it in hopes that he would slip up more often.

In those few days she had found out that he was in no way a vegetarian. He liked peppermint, looking at the stars, winter, strawberries, vanilla and he liked CHOCOLAT! She knew it. She had also found out that he didn't like ice cream, broccoli, flowers and company. She was sure there were many, many, many…many more things to add to his dislikes but she would try and find those out later. She was proud of herself; she already knew more about him than almost any other person except maybe his mother…who had died a while ago.

She had begun blinding her students every time they walked into the classroom, many were still scared and didn't dare even move until the spell was lifted but they were getting more comfortable without one of their senses. She was proud of them, they were doing well. She hadn't told any other Professor about her teaching methods and they didn't ask…she hoped she wasn't doing anything against the rules.

But it was almost seven o'clock at night; her mind was occupied with anything other than work. In half an hour she was going to carry down her tests to the dungeons. He would open the door for her and then they would sit on the floor and do their work on the coffee table. The night before they had simply sat on the couch, they drank tea and talked but unfortunately it was a Monday night and she had work to do…and so did he.

She gathered up her stuff and brought it down to the dungeons. With one arm full of paper; she brought up her other one and knocked loudly on the door.

\\\\

It had been a couple days now; he could no longer deny that he liked her company. They had had interesting conversations, very intellectual. He found out he enjoyed the way she seemed to consider everything he said before replying. His mind faltered for a second when he remembered something very important.

He had a conference in two days, it was required that he had at least one person accompany him, he was going to ask Albus but the man was very busy. Minerva? No, he didn't want the head of Gryffindor house chatting about how wonderful her cubs were. He wasn't even going to consider Flitwick; his high pitched squeak unnerved him every time he heard it. Who else could he bring? Sprout…No. Definitely not Hagrid no matter how much someone paid him. That only left one person. No! He could not, would not ask her! She would turn him down any way; she obviously had better things to do. Suddenly he was nervous, damn it! He didn't like being nervous.

Well, one thing was for sure…he was going to ask her one way or another. She was either going to laugh in his face or make up an excuse. There was no way she would miss a day of teaching just so she could go watch him speak for an hour about potions. Yup, she definitely had better things to do. Well, he had to have someone come with him… If she didn't want to come that left Lucius…No, he definitely didn't want to go with him.

Now was the hard part, asking her. _But what if she says no?_ His mind asked him. _Then she says no, it isn't the end of the world._ He replied to himself. Oh great now he was talking to himself, what was next? He was content with blaming it on the woman who came to his quarters every night. _But what if she's only doing it to be polite?_ His mind asked. _Again, it isn't the end of the world, I'll survive…right?_ This was useless; he started pacing back and forth his long robes billowing out behind him. He actually found himself counting on her coming, he had always liked solitude but for some stupid reason he would always anticipate her afternoon stop offs.

Ok, so that was it. He was going to ask her to come to his conference…strictly as his 'partner'. She couldn't laugh at him for that right? Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door; she couldn't be any quieter could she? He thought with mild irritation.

"Quiet as usual, right Miss, Laurel?" He remarked sarcastically as he opened the door.

She simply smiled at him and he sighed, why was it her smile could foil his anger? That further irritated him and he led her into his quarters with a stiff arm.

\\\\

Claire could tell immediately that there was something on his mind, he was acting strangely. He would normally be stiff and withdrawn around others but she had found he wasn't as much when he was around her. She took that as a personal sign of friendship but the way he was welcoming her that day seemed to be a rewind to when they had first met.

"What's on your mind Severus?"

"Many things." He replied slowly, how did she know something was on his mind?

"Of course, Severus. There's always something going on in that brilliant mind of yours." She remarked sarcastically. "I'm asking for specifics."

"What concern is it to you?"He said rather harshly.

"Ok, no need to get grumpy I was only asking…" He sighed again, why did he care if he hurt her feelings?

"My apologize, I didn't mean to be rude."

"That's perfectly alright Severus, may I have some tea?"

"You know where it is, make it yourself." He waved a hand at her dismissively. She huffed in return but she did know where the tea was so she hurried of to the small kitchen. She fixed both herself and Severus some tea, she had found out that he made his own tea and kept them in little bags. He wouldn't tell her how he made them which annoyed her to no end but served to please him very much.

She brought both cups back into the living room; she noticed that he was already seated on the ground in front if the coffee table. She smiled softly but quickly hid it when she sensed him turn his head to look at her. She set his cup in front of him and sipped hers quietly. He still seemed distracted because he kept tapping his quill against his parchment, normally he just started writing. Yup, he was definitely distracted. Suddenly she had an idea; she wasn't sure whether he would like it though.

She lifted her wand and flicked it slightly towards the ceiling. Suddenly a small pop echoed in the room.

"What is that?" An extremely annoyed voice asked her. He was certainly in a bad mood, he was normally snarky but he was just being testy that day.

She fingered the sound system in her hand.

"My grandmother gave it to me on my tenth birthday, she was a muggle."

"What does it do?" this time his voice held a little more curiosity then irritation…but only a little.

"It's a CD player, you put a CD in here," She pointed to the flap on the top of it. "And it plays music."

"Humph" he grunted she felt him raise an eyebrow at her but continued tapping his quill on the parchment. She knew her little CD player needed electricity but she could fix that with magic.

She flicked her wand at it and it started up, she flicked it again and murmured "Sonorus." Her small CD player began playing music quite loudly. She turned the volume down a little and enjoyed listening to the soft guitar playing.

She knelt down and shifted her legs underneath the table; she pulled her work out and began grading.

\\\

The music really wasn't that bad, he enjoyed classical rock and the muggles weren't doing that bad a job… Pretty soon he found that he was tapping his quill along with beat instead of because he was still contemplating how to ask Claire to attend the conference with him. He would look over at her from time to time, she would hum to the tune of her softy playing music but otherwise she seemed completely at ease. Funny, at ease with him? Now that was odd. Even most of his colleagues found it to be more of a fright to be in his quarters than a pleasure.

_Go on, ask her._ His mind told him, no he wasn't going to ruin his chance, she was the last person he could ask other then Lucius and he really would rather not go with the obnoxious bastard. Therefore his only logical explanation for seemingly being nervous was that she was the only thing separating him from an evening with her or in the company of the Dark Lords personal ass wiper. Lucius had been his friend, a very long time ago, sometimes he would regret the lost friendship and then other times he really couldn't give a rat's ass.

_Ask her before __it's__ too late_His mind demanded him again. He went to open his mouth and her head snapped up from her work quickly. She looked at him expectantly, he looked into her beautiful blue eyes… no, he couldn't do it yet.

"Has Potter been giving in his projects on time?" He recovered quickly.

"Yes, why wouldn't he?" She asked, she knew the boys didn't like each other much but she couldn't see how, she liked them both perfectly fine…they were actually more alike than they would ever dream.

"Because he hasn't been completing them in my class." He lied swiftly, whew close one.

"Maybe it's because you're too demanding, what did you ask for? Twenty feet of parchment in one night?" she teased; she knew Severus wasn't that bad when it came to projects but he came close to it.

"No." he glared at her. "He is just an insolent brat who isn't competent enough to hand in his work on time." This was actually quite a lie, Potter had actually been handing his stuff in on time for once. Oh well, there was no way in hell he was going to feel bad about trash talking Potter.

"Of course he is." She said rolling her eyes. Boys! They were all alike.

Once again there was silence and the soft rock played dimly in the background. Claire was actually quite happy to listen to something other than classical. She did enjoy it but not all the time it tended to bore her. Not that she would tell Severus that… the man loved classical music. But lucky for her he didn't seem to mind rock.

She came across her fifth year class tests; many of them had done a pretty good job. Actually many of them had passed with exceptional marks. Again, she was proud of how well they applied themselves to their work. She was so wrapped up in her grading that she hadn't noticed Severus was staring at her again.

_Ask her Damn you! You are such a coward!_ His mind yelled at him. He was beating himself up inside because he knew he was being a coward but he couldn't just open his mouth and ask her. Or could he? He looked up at her again; her fingers were scanning over her work carefully so she didn't miss any detail. No, it wasn't the time…maybe before she left? Ok, before she left that was the plan.

"Severus?" He started at the sound of his name. He blinked several times before opening his mouth to answer.

"What?" He said not too smoothly. Damn his nerves were jittering and it was making him falter. No! He couldn't lose his composure it was the only thing he had!

"I wanted to talk to you about the way I'm approaching my teaching methods…"

"What about them?" He asked returning to his work. His stomach was churning and it was making him uncomfortable. He hadn't had these feelings since well, since he was a teenager. He cursed his weakness and continued looking over his students work without really seeing it.

"Well," She hesitated it seemed she was fidgeting with her sleeve. "I've come up with a new way of preparing them for the outside world and …I wanted your opinion."

She wanted his opinion? Well, this was a first. He looked up at her expectantly with a raised eyebrow.

"Well?"

She took a deep breath before answering. There was no way her teaching methods could be cause for so much anxiety, could it? People thought his teaching methods were horrid but he liked them quite fine. He wondered why she seemed so nervous about telling someone.

\\\

Would he think it was stupid? She suddenly noticed she was nervous, but why? If he didn't like it so what? She liked it so there wouldn't be a problem right? And after all, he was extremely critical he would probably tell her she was an incompetent fool… Incompetent seemed to be his favourite insult lately… She finally realized how much his opinion did mean to her, which was very dangerous because her dreams could be ripped apart as soon as he said her idea was dumb.

Oh well, here goes nothing.

"At the beginning of each class I blind the students; they are as blind as I am." She took a pause but he didn't say a word, so she continues.

"I blind them when they come in and take it off when they leave; I'm trying to register in them a natural reflex and a better understanding of their surroundings. So they can be more—"

"Open minded and prepares themselves for any circumstance or situation? It's an adequate approach to teaching, I suppose." He said indifferently.

She beamed at him and suddenly he felt uncomfortable again. Why was she smiling at him like that? He hadn't praised very well, actually if he were being honest nowhere near as well as she should have been. It was actually a very clever way of teaching children who didn't fully understand the magnitude of danger they were in now a days.

Her heart was glowing, it wasn't even the fact that he had praised her extremely well for his standards; it was because he had finished her sentence. That may not be cause for celebration for any other girl but for her it meant that Severus had been paying very close attention to what she was saying. It meant that he knew her enough to know what she was about to say and how she was going to say it. Wow, when this man paid attention he didn't do a half ass job. That was one of the reasons she admired him so much, he paid attention to detail. Suddenly it gave her an idea.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?" He had his nose tucked in his work again.

"I know that you have been in many compromising situations, before…"

"What's your point?" He asked her, he didn't think he was going to like were this was going…

"Would you mind assisting me in class tomorrow so the students can see how to duel using other senses?" She asked quickly.

"And what makes you think I know how to duel blind?" He asked her with a bit of a bite to his tone, he didn't like it when people made assumptions about him.

"Because I have failed to find something you can't do." She said in a whisper, it was true but she didn't know how he would take the complement.

Severus didn't know what to say to that, no one had ever noticed he was quite good in many things. He felt his chest fill with air but for some reason it made him feel different…what was this feeling? Suddenly he was embarrassed and squished his nose back into his work.

"There are many things I can't do Miss Laurel, don't presume I can do more than any other person." He said rather harshly, he didn't know how to react to a complement.

"Please Severus, I could really use the help."

He was about to say no, but the way she asked made him hesitate. It seemed she had noticed the hesitation.

"It would give the students the motivation to continue with this, please?" Damn it! He hated pleading. He could only stand it when it was a whiney teenager asking. Why did everything think he couldn't say no to Dumbledore's dumbest requests? He was the king of pleading. He sucked in a breath of air and sighed deeply.

"I suppose I could try…" He said grudgingly. Darn it, why did he get sucked into these things, but then another thought occurred to him. Maybe he could persuade her into taking up his offer to go the conference, which he still had to ask her by the way.

He looked at her and it seemed as though she desperately wanted to squeal in excitement but he supposed she knew him well enough not to, because if she did, he was definitely going to cancel.

"Thank you Severus."

He simply grunted in reply, he didn't like thank you's because he hadn't done anything to deserve the them.

Suddenly she got up and charmed her papers and CD player away instead of carrying them up to her rooms. He got up and stretched his legs, it was eleven o'clock and he supposed she wanted to get to bed.

He walked her to the door and opened it. Okay he was going to ask her now. For the second time that night his mouth opened but nothing came out. _What are you doing? Ask her already!_ She starred up at him as she was walking by but he couldn't do it, he couldn't ask her. What was wrong with him?

She was still looking at him expectantly but he couldn't find his voice.

"I assume I'm going to be meeting in your class of fifth years tomorrow after lunch?"

She smile at him and nodded, she still looked extremely happy about that and he couldn't stop his heart from fluttering a little from seeing her so happy.

Suddenly she stopped moving, he looked at her curiously, his hand still out to his side holding the door open for her. She looked to be thinking things over and before he could stop her, her arms flew around his middle and squeezed him tight, her head rested against his chest. He was so shocked he couldn't move.

"Thank you" she whispered in his ear and let go quickly. She sprinted out of his quarters without a backwards glance, it was good thing she didn't because he was seething. How dare she hug him? But more annoying than her little display of affection was that there was a heat in his chest that wouldn't GO AWAY! He felt his cheeks heat up and he slammed the door loudly in front of him. _Why me?_ He asked himself.

\\\\

There was ten minutes before her next class and she couldn't wait. She was pretty good at duelling herself but she knew Severus was extremely good. This didn't worry her though because they were duelling on her turf. He was going to be just as blind as she was, here she had an advantage, she had lived like this her whole life.

Finally the bell rang signalling the end of lunch and she waited in her office. The students walked into the class but she could tell they were confused by their lack of blindness. She smiled a little and walked out to greet them.

"Good news class!"

They all simply stared at her and waited.

"We are going to have a visitor today, none of you will be blinded," Here everyone cheered to be able to have their eyesight during that period.

"I am going to have a duel with another professor, this professor will be just as blind as you all were. I want you all to take notes on our progress and you are going to hand in an eight foot easy for next week alright? Be warned you'll have to duel blinded."

Even the idea of an essay couldn't dampen the children's sprits, they're teachers were going to duel in front of them! They only wondered who on earth the professor was going to be.

Suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door and every ones heads turned to look. In stepped Professor Snape himself, the students gasped in horror. He was going to blast apart their little defence teacher! Already most boys towered over her but Professor Snape was huge! Even the seventh year boys weren't taller than him.

They had all heard about how their potions Professor was an excellent dueller, as they had seen in their second year with Lockheart, that they wondered how on earth their petite teacher was going to survive.

\\\

Severus walked in the room of students and watched as horror was sketched into each one. So they were worried about their Defence teacher were they? Well he had pay back to deliver so he wasn't going to hold back.

Suddenly all he could see was black, damn he had forgotten about the blinding part. No matter, she was right the other night when she assumed he would be good at duelling with his other senses. Suddenly a spell was sent this way but he ducked just in time, he had heard it coming but his movements were sluggish without his sight.

Suddenly another charm was sent his way but he was too slow and heard it too late. The spell hit him square in the chest. He was thrown back a couple of paces but threw a spell of his own instead.

\\\

Claire easily dogged the spell Severus had sent her, and many other ones. The movement in the air was already enough to alert her to where the spell was, she didn't even need to use her hearing. That was Severus's problem; he was using his hearing too much. They yelled incantations through the air at each other and they didn't use non-verbal spells so the students could hear.

"Professor Snape, feel the spell coming towards you, don't use your hearing unless you feel disoriented." She shouted at him. They were circling the room sending defence and attack spells and charms, but never curses. The class would gasp and scream every so often, they couldn't believe how well their defence teacher was at duelling, even though she couldn't see. But what scared them the most was that their Potions Professor was still very talented even without his sight.

After about a half an hour, both parties were panting and couldn't seem to find the energy to dodge much else. Claire finally put a stop to their duelling and she took off the blinding spell. She had to admit she was extremely impressed, he was very good at using his sense of movement as well as hearing to avoid and throw spells were he assumed she was. Most of the time he threw spells in her direction quite accurately but he needed a little more work with that.

Finally the whole group calmed down and sat quietly, as she had predicted Hermione was the only one taking notes, the other students were much to wrapped up in the duel that they forgot to take notes.

"Thank you Professor Snape, your performance was excellent and I'm sure the students greatly appreciated it." She smiled at him again, he watched as her hair stuck lightly to her forehead, he was glad the spell had been taken off because it was getting harder and harder for him to concentrate on only using his hearing and sense of touch. He had no idea how she lived with that every day.

He nodded at her and glared at the classroom as if daring them to make a comment about his duelling techniques.

"I was wondering if I could have a word Professor Laurel." He said as silkily as possible, he didn't want the students to pick up on his nervousness. She looked a little shocked but nodded and followed him out of the classroom.

Severus closed the door behind them and looked at her carefully._Now or Never._ He took a deep breath, his hands were shaking and she was looking at him curiously.

Claire could feel the tension rolling off of him and she wondered what had him so panicked.

"I have a conference to go to in two days time and," He kept his face impassive and tried to keep his voice as close to normal as possible, but it shook slightly.

"Yes?" She asked him, what was this all about?

"I need someone to accompany me; I was hoping you'd be interested…" He trailed off uncertainly.

"You're asking me to go on a date with you?"

"No!" He said quickly, he could feel heat rushing to his face again, this wasn't going how he had planned.

"Are we going to be gone the whole day?" She could tell he was blushing but didn't comment, she liked to see him squirm.

"Yes"

"Are we going to be eating somewhere?" Her heart was going to explode at any moment.

"I suppose…"

"Then it's a date!" She said and beamed up at him, she wanted to cry out in triumph, Severus Snape, the scariest potions master on the face of the planet had asked her out on a date! Well, sort of, but she wasn't going to let that get her down.

"No, it is not." He snarled at her.

"Okay, well you can call it a conference and I' m going to call it a date alright?"

"Fine, does that mean you'll go?" he asked finally. He was way too stressed to be having this conversation, it wasn't a date and he knew it so that's all that counted right?

"Of course I will! When are we leaving?"

"Thursday at eight in the morning and we will be returning around nine at night."

"Sounds perfect." She looked like she was going to hug him again so he moved back a step just in case.

"Alright." He said and turned on his heel. She had said yes.

A/N- Hey guys!!! I really liked this chapter and I hope you did to. The next chapter is their second date YAY!!! lol Let me know what you think Thx guys!


	19. The Conference

Chapter 19

It was late Wednesday night but Claire couldn't sleep, she was way too wired. She still couldn't get over the fact that Severus had asked her to go to a conference, _his_ conference. This was obviously something important to him, regardless whether she probably wasn't his first choice he had still picked her instead of anyone else. Apparently there were going to be many potions masters there, they would all take turns giving a speech and then they would discuss the next course of action for any of the disagreements or dilemmas presented by the members of the group. Severus was going to be speaking for at least an hour; he had advised her that she might get bored… Imagine that? Her, getting bored listening to his sweet velvety and silky drawl…Never! And they were going to go out for dinner how sweet! She could already see it; the next day was going to be perfect.

She sighed and lifted herself off her mattress, she was going to go for a walk, maybe she would bump into him again… she had admitted to herself that day that she was falling deeper and deeper for him. She didn't think she was in love or anything, maybe it was a crush?_ A very big crush_, her mind laughed at her. Oh well, she still needed to empty her mind so she could sleep. She was once again barefoot as her feet patted against the tile floor. She walked until she reached the giant oak doors…Funny it was unlocked. She knew Filch locked the doors at night, when Severus and she went on their first date they had to unlock the doors. Her curiosity got the better of her and she slipped outside.

She shivered as the cold wind whipped her hair into her face; she quickly cast a warming spell around her. She walked on the grass and enjoyed its softness; suddenly there was a movement to her left. She whipped out her wand and pointed it in their direction. All she heard was ragged breathing, who on earth was outside at a time like this?

"Who's there?" Whoever it was ran, and ran fast. She quickly ran barefoot after the person.

"Hey, Stop!" She yelled after him…him or her? She didn't know. She continued running after the sound of footsteps trying desperately to get away from her. She was catching up to whoever it was and they didn't like it. She half expected a curse to be thrown her way, but when none came she continued even faster.

Finally she was directly behind the person; she had decided it was a boy because the breathing definitely sounded male. She was on his heels now, where was he going anyway? Finally she was close enough to the person and stretched out her hand, her fingers closed but not on a person.

She caught fabric and pulled. A cloak was ripped of the persons back causing them to tumble. She pounced while she had the chance and she quickly grabbed his arms and pinned them over his head.

"Professor it's me!"

"Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, I'm sorry; I just didn't want to get in trouble." She exhaled slowly and let the boy go.

"What are you doing out here, at this time of night?"

"I-I just like coming out here at night, it's the only time I can be alone, please don't bring me to Professor Dumbledore."

"Harry, calm down" He took a big breath and she let him sit up, his cloak still in her hands. She rolled over and sat down beside him.

"How did you get out here without anyone noticing?"

She could feel him eyeing her carefully but he seemed to trust her for he answered.

"The cloak you have in your hands is an invisibility cloak."

"So, no one can see you when you wear this?"

"Exactly"

"Hmm…"

"Are you going to take it away?"

"No."

"Are you going to turn me in to Professor Dumbledore?"

"No."

Here he hesitated.

"No offense Professor, but why not?"

"Because I see no reason to, we all like to get away at times…"

The boy took another deep breath and pushed his glasses farther up his nose.

"Thanks"

"No need to thank me."

She wordlessly handed him back his cloak when she noticed he had something pretty big and square tucked under his arm.

"What's that, if you don't mind me asking?"

Harry didn't understand her; any other teacher would demand to see what he had, not ask let alone worry if it would bother him.

"It's a photo album…" He said slowly.

"Of what?"

"My parents." Here Claire took a breath, she knew the boy had never known his parents and she was worried she was going to hit a nerve if she kept going.

As if he sensed her discomfort he shrugged quickly.

"It's alright; I never knew them so it doesn't really hurt as much I guess…"

"I didn't really know my parents either."

The boy's eyes snapped to hers and he looked at her curiously.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"If you don't mind me asking Professor, what happened?"

Claire fingered the soft grass underneath her and took a steady breath.

"When I was young, I'm not quite sure how old I was. My mother was killed and my father was taken away from me."The boy still seemed to be mulling that over so she decided to go into specifics, it usually hurt to talk about this but she found a comfort in telling someone who had at least suffered the same as she had.

"All I remember is sitting on my mother's lap playing with a doll, the next thing I knew my father had picked me up and ordered me to hide under the couch, so I did. I remember listening as dark clocked figures entered the room and—"

"Death Eaters." The boy whispered.

"Yes, I suppose so, but I didn't know that at the time. I listened as they shot spell after spell at my father, he wouldn't give up, not without a fight. They had finally stunned him and carried him away but they simply killed my mother…"

"That's terrible, I'm sorry." The boy whispered gazing up at the stars.

"No that's alright, you never knew your parents either…I know it can be tough."

"Is your father still alive?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"It's probably been over twenty or so years since he was taken, I highly doubt the Death Eaters or Voldemort would keep him for that long."

"Do you remember them?"

"No, not really."

"What could your father have done so that they would capture him instead of killing him?"

"I'm not quite sure…I think he might have been an inventor of some kind..."

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered again. She laughed a little at that.

"Really, Mr. Potter it is quite alright."

"You can call me Harry."

"Alright then Harry." She smiled at him and she sensed him smile back.

"Now that we had this heart wrenching conversation let's say we head back inside?"

Harry nodded and lifted himself of the ground, she quickly helped him up and they walked back inside the castle. Once they arrived at the door she held it open for him.

"If anyone catches you tell them to come see me."

"Thank you Professor."

"No problem, and Harry," The boy spun around on the spot and stared at her.

"You know that it isn't only Neville who can come see me, if you need help…or if you need to talk, I'll be there."

"Thanks again Professor."He smiled softly at her and she knew he meant it.

"Off to bed with you." She whispered and tip-toed back to her quarters.

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She woke up early in the morning and got ready quickly. She opened her door and headed quickly for the Great Hall, if she wanted to eat breakfast she was going to have to hurry.

Severus was just about to head out of his quarters when he almost bumped into Albus.

"Ah! Severus, just who I wanted to see."

"Well, seeing as you have walked all the way down to the dungeons and are currently standing in front of the door to my quarters I'm surprised you were looking for me." He said sarcastically. Albus smiled at him, the twinkle in his eye turned on high.

"I understand you have a conference today?"

"Yes."

"And you are taking Claire with you?"

"Yes…" How did he know these things?

"Splendid!"

"Humph" He said crossing his arms in front of him, suddenly something occurred to him.

"Headmaster w—"

"Albus"

_"Albus, _why did you walk half way across the school to find me? You could have simply used the floo network."

"That's exactly why I came here to find you, it seems as though the ministry is having trouble with the network so they have shut it down for the day."

"Of course." Severus said rolling his eyes, everything rotten had to happen when he didn't want it to.

"It's too far a distance to apparate so I would suggest brooms."

Severus made a face, he did actually enjoy flying very much but not long distances. He sighed and looked back at Albus.

"We will be needing two brooms then I suppose…"

"Excellent, they will be waiting on the grounds when you are ready." He raised and arm and placed it firmly on the potions masters shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Good luck, Severus." He smiled at his young potions master and turned on his heel. Albus couldn't help but feel his chest heat up with pride, first of all, he was going to show the whole world who was the best potions master around and he had noticed Severus hadn't flinched when he had touched him. He supposed that was Claire's doing and made a mental note to thank her later.

Severus' stomach was fluttering when he thought of his conference, he desperately wanted to show them he was definitely worth being there, he was already known throughout the country as a brilliant man but these were people from all over the world.

He had also noticed that Albus' gentle squeeze hadn't bothered him…that was odd. He shrugged it off and hurried towards the Great Hall, he didn't feel like eating, his stomach was in knots but he needed to fetch his 'partner'.

He opened the doors and stalked up to the high table. It seemed as though she had heard him coming because she stood up and walked around the table to greet him.

"Good morning Severus, ready for your big day?"

He growled at her for treating him like a child but otherwise ignored her comment.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"I think, so hold on." She went through a mental list of everything she needed; it was all in her little handbag so she didn't think she had forgotten anything until…

"Oh! Hold on!"

"Hurry up." He snapped at her, but she noticed the venom in his voice was considerably low, maybe it was because he was nervous? She didn't know but she sprinted up to the high table and went straight for Minerva.

"Hello Claire, what can I do for you?" she asked in her Scottish undertone.

"Minerva I was wondering if you could do me a favour…"

"Whatever you need Claire."

"There have been some boys picking on Mr. Longbottom, I had given him a necklace to alert me when he was in danger but seeing as I am going to be gone for the say I was wondering if you could…?"

"Of course."

She quickly held out her wand and touched Minerva's finger tips to it. She felt the magic transfer to her and she smiled at her co-worker and former teacher.

"Thank you Minerva, I must be off I---"

She was cut off by the sound of a tapping shoe. Boy, he was impatient.

"Thank you." She repeated, she turned around and fallowed after Severus' retreating figure.

They walked through the castle but she noticed not in any direction where there was a fire place. This confused her, weren't they going to use the floo? Surely this place was too far to apparate to, wasn't it? They continued walking until they reached the front door. What was going on?

He opened the door and they walked out onto the grounds. It was a sunny day, she could tell because she could feel the warmth on her skin. It was still cold out though because they were in November after all. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks and she wasn't quick enough, she had bumped right into him. She was falling but he caught her arm quickly. She held her breath because this time he didn't let go so fast, his hand lingered only moments longer than necessary. Her stomach fluttered and she exhaled quietly.

"Sorry." She mumbled, he didn't answer.

"Severus, aren't we going to use the floo to get to your conference?"

"No." They weren't? Than how were they getting there?

"The Floo network is down for the day, we will have to fly."

"Fly?" She squeaked, he couldn't mean on a broom stick could he?

"Yes fly, are you deaf woman?"

"No" She glared at him.

\\\

Severus looked at her carefully; she had paled extremely after he had mentioned flying. Had he found out her fear?

"Miss Laurel, are you afraid of heights?"

"Maybe." She whispered, she looked as if she was about to be ill at any moment. He frowned at her and felt her forehead.

"If you are ill, you don't have to come.

"No, I want to come." She said with false bravado. He shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He said indifferently, but inside he felt a little pang of what was it? Happiness? He wasn't sure but she wanted to go with him even though she was afraid to fly.

He watched a she approached the broom hovering above the ground waiting for her. She reached out a hand and touched it.

\\\

She was going to be sick, she couldn't do it, she couldn't fly! She touched the broom stick carefully and then gripped it tightly. Yes she could! She would do it for Severus. She gripped the broom tighter and shakily swung a leg over it. She was sitting on the broom and attempted to make it go high; as soon as she did she regretted it. She gripped it with both her hands and legs tightly, her limbs went on lock down and she started to hyperventilate. She couldn't do it, she just couldn't!

She started shaking and she squeezed her eyes tight shut, she let out a small whimper of fear and hated herself for being so weak. Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, it squeezed gently and then arms encircled her middle and pulled her off the broom.

She heard Severus sigh as he dropped her on the ground. Her breath came slower and she bent over at the waist taking deep breaths,

"I'm sorry."

"It's no matter; I suppose we will simply ride on the one seeing as you obviously can't handle a broom on your own."

\\\

Severus had watched her climb on the broom with shaking hands and legs. He watched as she lifted herself a couple feet of the ground and how her body seemed to go on shut down. She clutched at the broom as if her life depended on it even if she was only a few feet off the ground. He was about to tell her to get over it already until he heard her whimper. That one small sound tore at his frozen heart; he didn't think he could ever handle hearing that sound again. She was obviously too scared to fly there on her own, with a sigh he lifted his arms over his head and grabbed her by her waist. He gently put her back down on the ground.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the other broom.

"Climb up as you did before." He ordered her. She did as he asked and she seemed to shut down again, he sighed for the second time that morning and swung his leg over the broom behind her. He was sitting behind her; he assumed she would be less afraid knowing she wouldn't be falling off the back. He leaned forward a little and brushed her hair away from her ear.

"Relax; you are not going to fall." He said gently, well, as gentle as Severus could be. His natural urge was to snap at her to stop being a coward and get it over with but something told him she would not react well to that.

She still remained stiff with her head almost touching the handle. There was only one way he could control the broom and that would be to put his hands on either side of her waist so he could reach the handle. Suddenly he felt uncomfortable again; he didn't suppose she would enjoy that very much. This was about to get awkward he realized and cleared his throat.

"Miss Laurel, I must reach around your waist to control the broom…is that alright?" He asked awkwardly, he could feel his cheeks heating up once again, damn; this was doing nothing for his composure.

He watched as she nodded stiffly, probably too scared to move. He went to reach for the broom handle when he realized her torso was glued to it.

"Miss Laurel, I can't reach the handle if you persist on clutching it for dear life." She didn't reply, her teeth were clenched shut and her jaw was ticking. He rolled his eyes; he put his hands on either side of her waist and pulled her up. Quickly, before she could glue herself back to the broom, he wove his arms around her and clenched his hands around the handle. He kicked swiftly off the ground and they soared up into the air. Claire screamed and without meaning to, he laughed. He had actually laughed; this whole situation was so absurd that he couldn't help it.

\\\

She was so scared she thought she was going to lose consciousness. And then he laughed, the sound vibrated off her back as his chest rumbled with it. The feel and the sound of it made her temporarily forget they were miles off the ground, too bad it didn't last long. She clenched the broom tightly and locked her legs so she wouldn't fall off. She was hyperventilating again and she thought she might cry. But then suddenly a warm breath of air tickled her ear and she remembered who exactly was sitting directly behind her. Severus was so close to her she could lean against his chest if she moved back only an inch, his mouth was right behind her ear and his hair, blowing in the wind, tickled her neck. Suddenly his presence made her feel calmer; she struggled to concentrate on how close he was to her instead of how far she was off the ground.

She started to loosen her legs a little as well as her grip. It was cold up high in the air and she shivered, unconsciously she leaned backwards until she rested against his chest. He stiffened immediately, and she tried to lean off of him for he obviously wasn't comfortable with that but the wind pushed her back and she couldn't seem to lean forward anymore. She began to relax, as long as he was there, she wouldn't fall. She tried to tell herself this over and over again, eventually it started to work. She started to feel a little less scared and breathed in deeply.

"See? It isn't so bad is it?" He whispered in her ear.

"I'm still scared shitless Severus." She breathed back at him. She could feel his chest rising and falling against her back and it made her dizzy. She had noticed he wasn't as stiff as before when she first leaned on him, maybe he had realized she couldn't lean forward? Either way she was glad he had accepted it because the fact was that she couldn't lean forward. The wind was cold and whipped her face, her hair flew around her and she let go for a second to tie her hair back. As soon as her hands left the handle she gasped and put them back on immediately, it had scared her so bad she started to shake again.

A couple of hours had passed, they hadn't spoken much to each other, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. She was still leaning on his chest in the most comfortable position she could ever remember, if they weren't going somewhere that day she thought that maybe…just maybe she would consider this their date. She still didn't like flying but having him sitting right behind her was the most wonderful feeling she had ever had.

After several more hours she attempted bringing out her wand, she was okay with one hand still on the broom handle.

She would point it in different directions and it would tell her what it was that they were flying by or overtop. She was enjoying the speed in which they were travelling but she still didn't like the height. Suddenly Severus stiffened completely; she wondered what on earth could have provoked that kind of a reaction out of him. She aimed her wand downwards…they were flying over a lake. Was he…No, was he afraid of water? He was completely stiff until they passed the lake witch only intensified her suspicion. She intended on asking him about that later but what caught her attention more was the fact that they were descending. Suddenly the wind picked up and her scarf blew in her face, they were headed straight for the earth.

"Severussss!!!" She screamed as they gathered speed at a nose dive. Once again that wonderful rich feeling hit her back as his chest rumbled with laughter.

"It's not funny!" She screeched as they got closer and closer to the ground.

"On the contrary my dear, it is very funny." He whispered in her ear. Typical, he wouldn't laugh for anything normal; he had to laugh at her expense. She scowled, but unfortunately seeing as he was in the back he couldn't see it.

They touched the ground and she got off shakily, her legs turned to jell-o and she started to fall. Once again, Severus caught her around her middle and pulled her up right with ease.

"Never again." She groaned and his arms shifted so he was only holding her waist with his hands instead.

"Are you stable yet? Other than mentally, we all know your aren't in that department."

"Ha ha." She scowled.

He finally let go of her waist and she felt a small pang of loss, she wanted him to hold her like that for longer.

\\\

They had finally reached a small building, he opened the door for her and they walked inside together. They walked around for a little not quite sure where to go until a young secretary showed them the conference room. Severus gazed around the room; it was just a simple square room with a very long table in the centre. He carefully pulled out a chair near than end of the table and Claire sat down gracefully. He looked her over and almost scowled when he thought of how surprised the wizards would be when they saw _him_ with a beautiful young lady. _They're going to think I drugged her_. He thought scathingly as he took a chair next to her.

They were the first ones there so they simply waited; eventually floating trays of food and drinks came into the room. He looked at Claire and raised an eyebrow; she paled slightly and shook her head.The corners of his lips twitched, he hadn't seen anything more entertaining than Claire on a broomstick for a long time. Finally the room started to fill up with people and Severus started to get nervous. Witches and Wizards from all over the world were filing into the room. Just then he felt a small soft hand touch his, he looked over and saw that Claire's hand was resting on his. He looked up at her and she smiled softly at him.

"You'll do fine." She whispered and removed her hand. He felt a small sense of lose in his chest but he couldn't understand why…he didn't need her encouragement, he was fine on his own.

"Professor Severus Snape?" A large wizard with an American accent asked him.

"Yes, may I help you?" He asked trying hard to keep his voice as polite as possible.

The large wizard let out a booming laugh and clapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Professor Snape Sir, it is an honour! All I have heard the whole trip here is how much of a great wizard you are not to mention best potions master in all of England! And my, my who is this lovely lady by your side?"

Severus didn't know what to say, it was quite a complement knowing that this man from across the ocean knew about him and his potions.

"This would be my partner, Miss Laurel."

Claire got up and shook the larger wizard's hand.

"Nice to meet you Miss Laurel, so you're Professor Snape's partner, are you?"

"You can call me Claire and actually," Here she gave Severus a devilish look. "I'm his date."

The large wizard clapped Severus on the back, hard. He laughed heartily and beamed at the pair.

"You two make the perfect couple! You can call me Harold or Professor Lex if you'd like."

"It's very nice to meet you Harold, I'm sure Severus has also heard a lot about you and your studies as well."

"What a sweat heart you got their Professor Snape! She's a keeper!" He laughed heartily again and Severus glared fiercely at her. But before he could make any death threats a rather ordinary looking wizard called for silence and the meeting began.

\\\

About four hours had passed and it was five o'clock in the afternoon, the meeting was almost finished and she couldn't say it wasn't interesting. She had listened to many people speak, they had all pretty much said the same thing, but when it was Severus' turn to speak her heart melted and her brain turned to mush. His voice washed over her like honey as she listened to his perfectly structured sentences and researched vocabulary. His low drawl sent shivers up her spine and captured the audience's attention. No one dared interrupt him, his speech was different from the others but was exceptional in many ways. He was such a genius, she tried very hard to make it seem as though she understood each and every word that he said but in truth she was letting his words wash over her and simply drowning in his velvety baritone.

Finally the ordinary wizard called for silence after Severus's speech as many people were still clapping after he had finished (including her). Severus sat back down in the chair next to her and she reached for his hand. She found it quick enough and squeezed tightly.

"That was wonderful." She whispered into his ear. He tried to pull away but she held his hand still, she started rubbing circles in it slowly and she smiled at him.

"I mean it." She whispered and for the slightest second his fingers closed over hers, before he withdrew them.

The conference was finally over and she couldn't wait to get out of the stuffy room. They left quickly but before they could get out the door Professor Lex caught Severus on the shoulder again.

"Very well done, if I do say so myself! You should do public speaking with the way you present yourself." His loud voice boomed.

Severus didn't say anything so Claire nudged him in the ribs.

"Thank you." He said stiffly.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you Harold; I do hope we see each other again soon."

"Me to young lady, watch out for me I might come stop by at that school of yours, it's been awhile since I've spoken to old Albus anyway." He boomed.

"Good evening Professor Lex" Severus muttered and they escaped the small building before they were interrupted again.

\\\\

Severus had found a small restaurant around the corner were Claire took great pleasure in trying everything they had on the menu.

"So Severus, afraid of water are we?"

"What?" He asked a slight curl to his lip.

"I know, don't try and hid it from me, you went stiff as a board when we crossed the lake so spit it out, why are you afraid of water?"

"None of your business." He sneered. Why was she so suddenly interested in that?

Suddenly she stopped eating and put her fork down she looked at him straight in the eye and spoke slowly.

"Severus, it's alright to be afraid of some things. Me and flying for example, I had to face it and you know about it. Now that you know my greatest fear I want to know yours."

"Your already know it, you just said it."

"Yes, but I want to know why."

"I don't know why you are afraid of heights."

"I'll tell you, but you have to tell me to ok?"

"…"

"Severus, please?" She asked, no! Not the pleading again! He couldn't take that.

"It's personal." He growled at her.

She continued to look at him with her big blue eyes and he didn't know how much longer he could stand staring into her sad eyes.

"Please? You know you can trust me." She whispered.

"Can I?" he asked scathingly.

"Of course you can." She whispered just as quietly.

He took a deep breath, should he tell her? Better question…could he tell her?

"Are you going to laugh at me?"

"Of course not!" She looked so serious he was having trouble doubting her.

He hesitated and looked down at his plate of food, then he looked out the window, it was already pitch black outside and he could tell there was a storm coming, they had better hurry up. He certainly didn't want to be caught in that.

"When I was young, my father…" he trailed off uncertain whether or not he could finish. He looked at her again, her brow was creased into a frown, she reached out a hand but he moved his hand away, he didn't' need comforting.

"My father used to dunk my head under water until I would pass out, when I was…misbehaving."

"Severus that's horrible!"

"What? Do you pity me now?" he snapped at her, he was enraged…that was the last thing he needed, pity was for the weak and he was not weak.

"Of course not, Severus." She said in such a motherly strict fashion that he almost felt ashamed for his little outburst.

"OK, I've told you why, now spit it out." He said picking up his wine and twirling it around in his glass.

"I'm afraid of heights because I feel like I don't have sense of control, I feel vulnerable and I feel weak. Some people are afraid of heights because they see the distance they are off the ground and feel fear. But it's worse for me because I _can__'__t_ see, understand?" When he nodded his head she continued.

"The only things I have left are my sense of touch, smell and hearing. Other than that, I have a good sense of direction, so when I'm in the air I have most of those taken away from me leaving me with practically nothing. I feel disoriented because I don't know where I'm headed, it does me no good to hear nor to smell so what do I have left in order fly safely?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

They finished up their dinner and paid the waitress; they headed outside and walked over to a clearing. Claire could tell there was a storm coming; she didn't need the thunder to tell her it was going to get windy, rainy and dangerous out.

"Maybe we shouldn't fly; maybe we should stay here for the night and return tomorrow?"

"No thank you Severus, I have classes tomorrow and I would really like to get home."

"Fine, we'll fly tonight but be warned it's going to be rough."

"Alright let' get going then." Severus took out the broom from his pocket and un shrunk it. Claire didn't advance towards the offending objet. Severus sighed and hoisted her into the air. She yelped in surprise as she was lifted into the air and landed on the broom. Severus took the same spot as before; he climbed on behind her and moved his arms around her waist to reach the handle.

He kicked off swiftly and they soared upward again. It was colder then it was in the morning, Clair shivered as they accelerated and tried t hold back a scream she desperately wanted to let go. Out of fear, she tangled her legs around his and leaned back against his chest. She was shaking again and that was the only reason he didn't protest her physical contact. He actually felt a little bad for her so he kept still so she could lean against him. Why didn't she mind that? No one would want to lean on him. Severus looked at the black clouds ahead and knew it was going to be a rough ride.

After several minutes Claire's eyes started to droop and pretty soon Severus had a dead weight lying against him. Her soft snoring was the only indicator that she had actually fallen asleep, how was it she always managed to fall asleep around him? Was it because he bored her? He didn't talk much during their long flights, was that why she would fall asleep? _Or is it because she trusts you?_ His mind asked him; no it couldn't be that, he shook his head slightly to discourage that thought and kept all his concentration on steering in the right direction.

After a couple of hours he realized he actually enjoyed the feeling of her small body leaning against him, what did he deserve to have a friend like her? Wait, did he just say friend? No, he didn't need friends, he could do without them. _But can I do without her?_ His mind asked, of course he could right? He didn't need her slowing him down all the time, making him embarrassed and worst of all, feeling nervous all the time.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that it had started raining, pretty soon he was soaked and so was she. Claire stirred in his arms and he moved his arms over so he covered most of her body with his them, he didn't want her getting sick, that was all.

Suddenly a clap of thunder sounded, Claire jumped up startled and the worst possible thing happened. A bolt of lightning struck the front of the broom. The broom was blasted off its course and swirled violently to the left. Claire screamed and tried to grab hold of the handle, her hands slipped off its wet surface and she started to fall. Severus was watching as if in slow motion, he retched for her but she was falling, falling farther and farther towards the ground…Wait, not the ground, the lake. The front of the broom had caught fire and he was still reaching for her.

"Severus!" She screamed as she fell, her arms were flailing in his direction frantic for something to hold onto but it was too late, she was falling too quickly. He listened to her scream and without realizing it he had screamed her name to.

Fear squeezed his chest so hard that without even thinking twice he stood up on the broom and dove head first into the frozen lake after her.

A/N- Hey guys! Uh-Oh Whats going to happen???? lol It seemes like both of them are going to have to face their fears eh? I know this chapter is really long and I'm sorry about that but I just kept writting and didn't realize how long it was...anyway, hope you like it tell me what you think!! Thx guys!


	20. His Worst Fear

Chapter 20

Severus watched as Claire's body struck the thin layer of ice and was pulled hungrily down farther and farther into the black water. He was still plummeting, gaining speed with every second towards the freezing water of the lake. His heart was racing at least three times faster than it should have been, his eyes were streaming from the cold air rushing up to meet him and his hair flew back in the wind.

He was getting closer and closer and his natural fear of water started to sink in, what if he couldn't get back up? What if he drowned, worse yet…what if she drowned because he was too scared to dive down and get her? No, he couldn't even think of that. At the last second he took a deep breath of air and his arms, then his head and then his whole body made contact with the frozen surface of the lake.

His body was like an anchor; the water swallowed him up and he was sinking, and sinking fast. Out of shock he opened his mouth and water filled his lungs within seconds. He couldn't breathe, the cold of the water was like small spikes pricking his every poor and he couldn't think. An irrational fear gripped his heart as he realized he was drowning.

Slowly his world started to go dark, he opened his eyes and all he could see was black, his mind was spinning and he kicked his feet feebly in a half hearted attempt to live. He saw his hair floating around him, his robes were pulling him down fast but he couldn't gain the speed needed to reach the top, he couldn't swim.

He was giving up, all those years as a spy, all the information he gathered he could no longer provide. Dumbledore was going to have to find a new spy, he remembered his wand but his arms were to frozen to reach over and grab it, besides he couldn't concentrate on anything… he was dying after all, it was hard not to think of anything else.

Suddenly a piece of fabric brushed his frozen fingertips, he turned his head with blurry vision and looked down at a small and fragile looking witch. Her dark curly hair swirled around her; she was floating limply and sinking faster than he was. He gazed at her blue lips to her gently closed eyes.

Claire was dying too, but he couldn't save her because he was seconds from death himself. He felt like a failure, he was going to die and her along with him. His vision was clouding again but then suddenly a soft hand touched his. He looked over again and saw her small pale hand twitch in the water. Was he actually going to let her drown? Was he that much of a coward and weakling that he would let someone he cared about die? He had to admit it; now that they were seconds from death he admitted that he cared for her…he cared for her a lot. Suddenly his slowing heart jumped violently, his eyes flew open with a new fire and he grasped the small hand slowly sinking farther and farther away from him.

He didn't know how to swim but he sure as hell was going to try. He kicked his legs as hard as he could and they moved up a few inches. His lungs were begging for air but they were nowhere near the surface.

Suddenly he realized that they were sinking too fast to reach the surface, fear seized his heart again when he realized that Claire may not survive. He grabbed his cloak and undid it, he watched as it sunk down to the bottom of the lake. He tried to kick again but they were still sinking too fast. Quickly, with numb fingers he unclasped his outer robes and let them sink as well, he was only left in his white dress shirt and black dress pants. He also kicked off his shoes and turned over to see that

Claire was still unconscious. She was dying and quickly, he had only had less than a minute to get her some air or she would be gone forever.

He undid her travelling cloak and then her outer robes, she was left with a green sweater and similar black dress pants. He kicked upwards again and this time they went much farther, he turned around and held Claire by her waist and used the other arm to continue pushing upwards. His vision was clouding and his burst of adrenaline was failing him. His heart was slowing again and he didn't know how much longer he could keep going.

His movements were staring to get sluggish he decided he could chance using his wand now that his mind was able to concentrate a little more clearly. He reached down only to remember he had let his robes fall to the bottom of the lake, no! His wand was in his outer robe pocket. DAMN IT! He was getting weaker and every attempt to get to the surface became less and less attainable. He looked down into his arms and saw Claire's limp head falling against his chest. He felt so useless and weak, he wanted to yell in frustration but all that came out was a muffled choking sound as more water washed into his lungs

He grabbed her more firmly and pushed upward with his weakening legs, he was so cold his mind started to freeze over, the panic in his chest started to subside as he realized he couldn't make it, there was no sense in worrying or hoping when the inevitable was going to happen. He tried with one last feeble attempt at kicking his legs upward again when his head broke the surface.

He gasped in freezing air and coughed out water. He hacked and coughed for what seemed like an eternity but the only thing his mind was capable of thinking was that Claire was dying. He looked at her and she hadn't regained consciousness, she wasn't taking in any air. His arms were extremely tired, sore and cold but he swam to the edge of the water he kicked his numb legs as hard as he could until finally he reached the edge of the water. His teeth were chattering horribly, he tried with all his might to climb up on the edge but his muscles wouldn't respond. His breaths were coming in small gasps as cold air stung his eyes and his lungs. His hair was plastered to his face put he continued to try and push himself up to safety.

His arms were weakening and he didn't know how much longer he could hold on to both Claire and the ledge at the same time. Finally he came to the conclusion that he would push her up first, if he didn't have the strength to haul himself up, then…well, he would let go.

It was still raining fiercely and each rain drop smacked him hard on the face as he looked up at the black sky and cursed the heavens. He grabbed Claire with both his arms and, treading water with his legs; he used the last of his strength and pushed her up onto the ledge. Her body rocked on the edge and finally rolled over onto the cold grass. He was feeling so weak; he didn't think his muscles could take much more, well he supposed that that was it. There was no way he would have enough strength to pick himself up and throw himself up onto the ledge beside her. He pushed around the small squares of ice that floated around him. He had pushed most of them out of the way when he swam to the grassy surface but now he twisted them in his fingers, he was about to join the ones that floated to the bottom.

His teeth were still chattering and his eyesight was starting to go blurry again. His heart rate was slowing, he could feel it. He looked up one last time at Claire, she was safe, he didn't need to worry about her anymore. But he looked closer, her chest was still. She still wasn't breathing, so she was going to die anyway wasn't she?

No, after everything he did to keep her alive? He had jumped miles from the ground into freezing cold water, he almost drowned, he lost his wand, he used the last of his strength to swim to the surface and then haul her onto the edge and she was just going to die? He didn't think so. Chattering teeth and all, he put his frozen fingertips on the edge and pulled his body out of the freezing water, he was shivering horribly, his muscles twitched and the veins in his arms stuck out with the effort of pulling himself out of the freezing lake. He grunted and let out a small strangled yell as he yanked his body onto the ground. His torso made it on the bank and he panted from the effort, with one last pull he heaved his whole body onto the frost covered grass and crawled his way slowly to Claire's body. His white dress shirt clung, see through, to his chest and his pants were starting to drag his tired legs down. But he kept crawling, he looked at her again, her green sweater was soaked and her lips were blue.

He looked down at her once he had moved his arms over her shoulders. His body was positioned over hears and he leaned his head down to her mouth. His ear brushed her lips but no air was coming out. He checked her pulse and he was relieved to find that it was still there. What now? He didn't have his wand so he couldn't jump start her heart or vanish the water from her lungs.

His heart started to pump too fast again as he realized that his seconds were numbered. He acted on instinct and he lowered his lips to hers. He sucked in a deep breath and strained his arms so wouldn't collapse on top of her. His lips touched hers and he breathed deeply into her. Nothing happened, he was really getting scared now, what if he couldn't save her? What if she died after all of this because he couldn't perform a muggle first aid procedure?

He licked his lips and bent down again, this time he sucked in air a blew it our more forcefully into her lungs, he watched as her chest rose as he blew air into her deprived lungs. Nothing happened for many seconds and his lips stayed glued to hers. He let out a small whimper of despair when her body didn't seem to do anything.

Suddenly her body convulsed and he moved away rapidly she started coughing and spluttering. She coughed up what seemed to be gallons and gallons of water. Finally when she had finished coughing up water she started to take in raspy breaths of air. It was starting to snow, actually hail. The snow balls pelted them harshly and he found himself crawling back towards her. As he got closer she started to cry, it was obvious she was scared if not terrified, he couldn't blame her, he felt like crying but didn't dare.

"S-S-Severus?" Her teeth chattered at him through her sobs.

"Y-yes?" He shivered, his teeth chattered also and he continued to crawl closer to her.

"I-I-I-'m s-s-so s-s-sorry" she sobbed and put her hands up to her face, her shoulders shook and he supposed she was simply trying to cope while her body was in shock.

"S-ssshhh" he whispered to her and crawled behind her, his muscles were twitching and he wouldn't be shocked if they gave away and he ended up on his face.

She was sitting up so he moved himself behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso, he also wrapped his legs around hers trying his hardest to keep her warm. Her back was leaning against his chest and they were almost in the same position as they were on the broom, expect he was holding her instead of the broom handle.

She continued to cry in his arms while his teeth chattered, he was unable to stop. He didn't want her getting sick on top of being scared half to death so he kept her locked into his arms and legs, hoping at least some of his body heat that was left would help her recover quicker. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone but he was mostly holding her to himself because he wanted to, he wanted to hold and feel her cry, it reminded him that she was alive.

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Claire couldn't seem to stop crying, she actually didn't want to stop crying, she was scared, she was cold and her lungs hurt something fierce. Severus' arms were around her and squeezing her hard, his legs were entangled around hers and she couldn't believe he was doing it willingly. Her body was still shaking horribly and her teeth just wouldn't stop chattering.

They sat together in the storm for a few minutes, Severs trying to warm her and Claire simply crying silently. She noticed that Severus' jaw was still shaking and his teeth were still chattering, she knew he was trying to stop but it was obvious his body had a mind of its own. She leaned her head back and put it under his chin. She could feel his jaw moving on the top of her head but it started to lessen. Suddenly she realized he wasn't wearing anything thick…and neither was she. That must have meant that her Cloak and outer robes were left behind in the lake along with his. Her wand was in her robes. Oh well, that's why she had the security measure in place.

She had been holding Severus' arms that were wound around her middle. She let go of him and touched the bracelet on her arm with her index finger, she was tracing the design and she felt Severus' gaze settle on her bracelet.

"A-Anne" she whispered the name of her deceased mother.

She felt heat radiate off the trinket on her arm and she held her hand open, her wand materialized in it. She heard Severus take a sharp breath; she quickly waved it around and cast a warming and drying spell on the both of them. She let out a breath she had been holding and shivered violently when her clothes heated up intensely. She felt Severus shiver as his clothes also warmed up. She cast a small barrier around them to shield them from the weather and the wind that whipped their hair into their faces.

The heat was warming her up quickly, suddenly she realized with much distress that Severus was going to let go of her now that she was warm. She took a deep breath and savoured the feeling of his strong arms holding her but they didn't leave. Her heart flamed intensely and she crossed her arms so they were grabbing onto his. She squeezed them tightly and leaned her head back passed his chin and into the crook of his neck. She heard his breath hitch and he stiffened considerably; she nuzzled his neck and squeezed his arms tighter around her. He took in another deep breath but forced himself to relax; she wasn't going to bite him after all.

Claire noticed through her fogged brain that he had probably lost his wand also, she let go of his arms so she could get his wand for him. He started to let go of her as soon as she had let go of him. She quickly lay back against him and forced his hands back around her. She wasn't getting up because she didn't want him to hold her anymore, well, that's why she assumed he had tried to let her go, how could he think she would ever want him to let her go?

This time she slowly raised her wand but kept one hand firmly over his arm and pointed her it at the lake.

"Accio wand" She whispered, her throat was sore from crying so she didn't bother saying it too loud. After several moments of waiting, she felt his wand soar out of the water and head straight for her, she raised her hand to grab it but he was quicker. His hand shot from her waist into the air and he caught his wand carefully.

"That's mine." He whispered to her, it seemed as though his throat was sore too because it was hoarse…from the cold? Or from something else? She wasn't sure but she smiled hugely when he replaced his arm around her.

"Should we accio our clothes?" She asked him after a while.

"I have many of the same pair but if you want yours feel free to summon them." He said, he sounded tired; she couldn't blame him, he had jumped off a broom, almost drowned and…saved her life. That thought alone set her heart into overactive mood and it sped up faster than it should have been. It seemed he had noticed the change in her behaviour because she snuggled in deeper to his embrace.

"What has gotten into you?" He asked, still sounding exhausted.

"I'm still cold." She mumbled, it was a lie but she knew he would let go of her if she told him she was awed that he had faced his greatest fear so he could save _her._ In response, he tightened his arms around her and she sighed contentedly.

"I don't believe that, by the way." He whispered into her ear. She giggled quietly and shifted so she was facing him instead of him sitting with her back to him. She moved her arms so that they encircled his chest in a hug and she squeezed him back.

"Thank you." She whispered, emotion clogging her voice.

"Did you expect me to let you drown?" He asked sceptically, burying his face in her hair to hide his discomfort.

"Well, I certainly didn't think you would jump in after me, I mean, water is your greatest fear."

"And you flew half way across the country just to watch me talk for an hour." He said back to her. She smiled against his neck and inhaled his sent deeply, she was feeling a little dizzy and she thought that maybe she was coming down with something.

"Mmm, you smell good." She mumbled against him, oh shit, did she just say that?

"You are obviously getting ill, let's find a way of getting back alright?"

"Mm, ok."She said sleepily, he removed a hand and touched her forehead. It was ice cold instead of hot, well; it was still a bad sign.

His strength was coming back now that he was warm and dry so in one quick motion he scooped her up into his arms.

She squealed in surprise and hung on to his neck carefully.

"I can walk fine on my own." She slurred indignantly.

"You can't even form a coherent sentence let alone a logical one so I'm going to presume that you can't walk" she frowned at him but he didn't care, as soon as he let her go, he knew she would wobble then fall.

"Be warned, I know that you aren't feeling too good and there is no other way to get back, so we are going to have to apparate. The distance from here to Hogwarts is too far so we will be apparating three times in a row. It's going to be a tough ride so I suggest you hold on." She simply nodded and held on tighter to his neck.

They disapparated from the clearing next to the lake and apparated out into the middle of a field. Severus knew he had to get Claire back, because she was getting sick quickly. When he would look down at her, her lips were still blue and her cheeks flushed red. He apparated again but when he landed his knees buckled and he almost fell on his face but he simply regained balance on his knees instead. He struggled to stand, his muscles were feeling weaker again and he didn't want to risk collapsing with her in his arms. So Severus disapparated one last time, it was the farthest distance yet to go, when he apparated outside of Hogwarts grounds his muscles gave a way and he found himself laying on the ground with Claire underneath him. He quickly got off of her and pulled her closer to him. He was about to apologize but her head lolled onto his shoulder.

"S'ok Severus, you're tired." She mumbled against his shoulder. It was pitch black out on the grounds, because of their little 'detour' it was well past nine o'clock at night and no one was outside. He took in a deep breath but noticed hers were slowing, he had to get her to the Hospital wing, Poppy had been back for a while now and she was his best way of helping Claire get better.

He grunted and tried to lift her in his arms again but his knees buckled and he fell. Damn it! He took out his wand and sent very loud fireworks into the air. The sound echoed around the castle and Claire jumped at the loud noise in his arms. Her eyes looked panicked and she seemed to be disoriented, well, that was expected seeing as they had apparated more than twice, it really wasn't recommended.

He rubbed her arm soothingly trying to get her to calm down. Eventually her eyes relaxed and they drooped again.

"No, no Miss Laurel, you have to stay awake." She didn't seem to hear him and her eyes were almost closed.

"Claire." She turned her head and her eyes, unseeing, regarded at him.

"Claire, stay awake ok?"

She nodded her head but at that moment Albus and Poppy came rushing outside.

"Severus what happened?!" Poppy exclaimed as she bent down to examine the woman in his arms.

"There was a storm, broom caught fire, she fell into the lake and, and…" He trailed off, he noticed that his own eyes were drooping and his muscles screamed in protest holding the witch in his arms but he didn't want to…no he couldn't let her go.

"Severus, let her go, we need to bring her to the hospital wing." Albus said quietly, he had simply watched the exchange quietly.

He shook his head and tried to get up again but he found himself back on his knees. Darn his weakness! He cursed himself inwardly and tried to stand again when suddenly there wasn't a wait in his arms anymore.

"Where is she?" He asked stunned, he looked down at his empty arms and started to panic.

"Severus, I just gave her a port key to the hospital wing she'll be fine. But I'm not sure if you will be if you keep using up your energy stores." She scolded him. Albus bent down to his left and hooked an arm underneath his shoulder. The older man lifted his young potions master up and together they walked up into the infirmary.

Severus shook off Albus' supporting arm and headed straight for Claire's bed. Once he got there he looked down at her, she was sleeping and her chest was moving up and down slowly.

"Is she alright?" He asked quietly.

"She will be fine in a couple of days Severus, she has a mild case of hypothermia and her lungs are damaged, but I can take care of that easily." Severus let out a deep breath. Since when had he started caring so much? This all seemed so sudden to him, but then he reflected on all their evenings together. Maybe, just maybe he had cared for her all along without even realizing it.

Poppy tried to push him to a bed but he shook his head.

"I'm fine Poppy, no need to fuss!" He sneered at her, but she simply pushed him back onto a bed, she ran many tests on him and came to the conclusion that his lungs were also damaged to a certain point and that his body simply needed a lot of rest. He started to refuse the dreamless sleep potion she was offering him but he was too weak to resist her forcing hands. Pretty soon he felt the vial pressed against his lips and she held his nose, he had no choice but to swallow, but he made sure to scowl extra fierce at her when she was done.

When Poppy left he used his wand to move his bed closer to Claire's just to make sure that she was alright, that's all. He wanted to be near her so if she needed anything he would be sure to get it for her, it was his fault they had gotten into that mess in the first place and he felt guilty. He should have insisted they stay were they were for the night or at least steered the broom better…. Once he was close enough he started to feel the potion kick in, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Right before he fell into a deep sleep he felt a small hand slip into his. He closed his fingers around hers and let his mind shut down so his body could have its much needed rest.

A/N- Hey guys! Severus is starting to realize how much he cares for her, it's getting harder because I don't want to make him out of character, so if you think he's starting to sound odd please let me know and give me suggestions, thx guys!

PS: If you don't remember Claire and her security programme with her wand I suggest you go back to chapter two and reread the third paragraph.


	21. She Can Do Better

Chapter 21

_Itali__c_ Flash back

He felt warm and his eyelids didn't seem so heavy anymore. He flexed his muscles but his hand wouldn't move the way he wanted it to… His eyelids fluttered open and he looked down at the white blanket covering him, he sneered at the offending color but shifted his head to the left. He looked down and saw hands, they were entwined, no wait…it was his hand. He tried to move it but found that no amount of strength could command it. He realized he actually couldn't feel his hand anymore, it had fallen asleep. With some effort he turned his body and unhooked her fingers from his.

He lifted up his hand let it fall heavily to his side, gravity eventually helped the blood flow to his hand and his fingers began to twitch as he attempted again to move his it. An annoying pricking shot through his arm and rested at his fingertips, another sign that his hand had been in the wrong position for the entire night. He looked over at Claire and felt an overwhelming feeling, what was it? He had admitted he cared for her, maybe more than he should. He looked at her pale face sleeping… that was right; he cared more than he should.

He gazed down at her with guilty eyes, she couldn't stay with him, she would only end up getting hurt. Besides sooner or later the Dark Lord was bound to find out where his true loyalty's lay. And then what? He would go after Claire, probably torture her in front of him, kill her in front of him and then kill him. No, he definitely couldn't do that to her, she had done nothing to deserve any of it…he did.

And, what of Lily? His chest contracted with pain that he was familiar with for the last fourteen years. Was he replacing her in his heart? His heart was frozen but it seemed as though Lily was trapped inside, frozen during time along with him. He couldn't replace her…he just couldn't.

Had he led her on? She would be happier without him anyway, he ruined everything he touched. He would put her in danger, he would probably break her heart when he had one of his little outburst of anger where he said things he didn't mean. His personality was too deformed and he…he wasn't good enough for her. She deserved someone who could have a future with her. He was most likely going to die within the next few years during his service to the Dark Lord. He couldn't give her a happy life nor children, he was sure she would want them sooner or later.

He stepped out of bed quietly and walked over to her bedside, her hand was still outstretched but this time it held nothing. He grasped it gently and folded her arm onto her chest. He was about to turn around and leave when he noticed a single stray curl resting against her cheek. He walked back up to her bed and lifted his arm. His fingers shook as he curled her hair around one pale finger. He twisted it around, feeling its softness and he gently tucked it behind her hear. He let his hand fall to his side and gazed one last time at her sleeping form, he was going to have to push her away, it was best for her.

He went to turn around when he bent down next to her ear instead.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and turned around heading for the hospital exit. He had apologized for many reasons, for falling for her, for hurting her, for putting her in danger and for all the things he knew he wouldn't be able to give her. He opened the door and walked out without a backwards glance.

\\\\\ Saturday\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Sunday\\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Monday\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Tuesday\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Wednesday\\\\- Nothing \\\\\Thursday\\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Friday\\\\\ - Nothing \\\\\ Saturday\\\\- Nothing \\\\Sunday\\\\\- Nothing \\\\Monday\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Tuesday\\\\ - Nothing \\\\Wednesday\\\\ - Nothing \\\\\Thursday\\\\\ -Nothing \\\\Friday\\\\\ - Still nothing...

It had been almost been two weeks, Claire couldn't stop crying even if she wanted to. What had she done? He was avoiding her, he wouldn't talk to her and when he did it was a lot nastier then he was with Harry Potter. Had she insulted him, embarrassed him maybe? Why was he acting like that?

Claire was sitting at her desk, there were tissues littering her desk and her floor. She didn't want to see anyone and she didn't want anyone to see her. She was trying desperately to grade tests by herself but she couldn't get her mind off the first time she tried to talk to him. She thought back to the encounter and more silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

_Knock, Knock, Knock_

_She waited patiently for the door to open, Severus hadn't been himself lately, but she didn't want that to prevent them from meeting up as usual to grade their tests. He hadn't been their when she woke up and she was a little put out by that but she supposed he was just busy. She was excited to see him again and she rocked on her heels as she waited…odd no one answered, but he was always in his chambers at this time of night._

_She knocked again and suddenly the door flung open quickly almost smacking her in the face._

_"Severus! Watch out, you almost hit—"She stopped in mid sentence, something wasn't right._

_"Your point?"__ He sneered at her._

_"Umm…Something bugging you Severus?" She asked heatedly, what was his problem?_

_"Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong again, right Miss Laurel? Now if you would kindly leave I have better things to do than stand in my doorway having pointless chatter." He hissed at her._

_She stared at him open mouthed, what the hell was wrong with him?_

_"Severus, did I do something? Just tell me what I did wrong." she whispered to him, she could feel her eyes starting to prick but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry._

_"You always think it's about you don't you? You wanted to talk to me, to get to know me? Well what? Aren't you happy, am I what you expected?" He sneered at her, his voice no longer held the velvety cool and honey sweet texture to it; it was hard as ice and unyielding._

_She felt like her heart was tearing itself in two with every word that he said to her. The venom in his voice was dripping into her heart and lungs, it was poisoning it until she felt like she couldn't breathe, she couldn't even answer him…_

_"I didn't think so." He whispered, but his voice held no warmth as it had before. He shut the door in her face and she let her tears fall, she tried not to make a sound but it wasn't long before a small strangled noise came out of her throat. Her soul was being ripped in two; it was at that moment that she realized that…she loved him. _

She replayed the moment over and over in her head, what had she done? What could she do to make it up to him? She had tried to talk to him so many times but every time she would corner him in the hallway he would slip away from her. He wasn't even giving her a chance to ask how she could make it better with him. She was falling apart without him. Her classes weren't fun anymore, the students had given up trying to talk to her, as well as her co-workers…she didn't even want to know what she looked like.

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The first time she had come to his quarters for their usual work time together he had felt his heart starting to contract with harsh movements. She had knocked on the door and he had swung it open roughly almost hitting her on purpose. They had had their fight but he watched her face closely when she seemed about to cry for the first time. It hurt like hell knowing that he was making her look like that but he kept watching as word after word cut her down.

He watched as her face crumpled when his voice took on a bitter edge and he not so discretely told her to leave. He memorized her broken face and replayed it in his mind, he reminded himself that if he did it now while she wasn't too attached to him then he could avoid giving her that pain but ten times worse when he returned dead from a death eater meeting.

He had slammed the door in her face and laid his back against the closed door. At first he heard nothing and supposed maybe she was already over it and would move on quickly, besides, she couldn't possibly think he would be good enough for her…maybe she had finally realized that? His stomach clenched unpleasantly at that thought but he stayed glued to his closed door.

After several minutes he heard a strangled cry from her throat and his arms shook terribly. He wanted to wrench the door open, tell her he was sorry and promise her everything he knew he couldn't give her, just to see her smile at him again, he wanted to see her eyes shine when he made her laugh or when she was just happy.

He wasn't sure if he could handle hearing her cry but he didn't have to because she ran out of the dungeons without stopping. He had taken in a deep breath and wished he never had to do that again.

It had been around two weeks since their last encounter; he couldn't believe how much he missed her. He missed her nightly stop off's, he missed her smile, her laugh, he missed her scream when they had soared into the air on a broom stick and he missed her teasing. He knew it sounded ridiculous but he missed the feeling of her in his arms, he missed the weight against his chest even the soft breathing on his neck when he held her really close on those special occasions. But he couldn't have it back, he didn't deserve her and she didn't deserve to be hurt.

She had tried to talk to him but he would sneer at her and walk a little faster so he could avoid her. He had been secretly watching her for the past two weeks, he had noticed that her hair didn't wave as well as it did normally, her eyes were constantly red and her face was pale, even her movements looked dead. He had heard rumours that her classes were going down the drain, students were worried about her and he had heard many teachers voice their concerns.

Because he was the only one who seemingly didn't care that she was so obviously in pain people started blaming him. Well…it just so happened that this time, they were right. He felt horrible for causing her pain but he was so sure that she would thank him some day when she had a better person by her side, someone who hadn't destroyed their lives and the lives of many other people, someone who could give her children and a nice home. He was more than capable of supporting her financially but he wasn't so sure he could do it emotionally. He wasn't good at displaying affection and he knew she would need it. His past was too dark, too sinister; she needed someone with a clear conscious, someone who didn't have nightmares every night or spend their life regretting almost everything they'd done.

Yes, she could definitely do better; she would thank him some day…

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Neville was suspicious; he had noticed that all of a sudden the Slytherin boys had backed off. It didn't make sense, they had lost many house points and had gotten into even more detentions but they hadn't backed off, until that day. He was expecting them to come along at any minute, but no one came. It was really starting to confuse him, why had they just suddenly decided to stop picking on him?

Neville was walking towards his defence class with Harry, Ron and Hermione. He opened the door and gazed at his defence teacher. Her eyes were red and puffy, she looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep in a while and she barely spoke to them anymore. She had been that way for some time now and it hurt him every time he saw her like that. He wanted to know what was wrong but whenever he approached her about it she would tell him he didn't need to worry about her.

Every time the Slytherin boys would try and get him again, she would always show up like she promised. Even though she was a mess, she would show up and protect him like she did almost every day. But she wouldn't utter any words of encouragement to him like she used to, she would simply tell him to go to bed and she would turn on her heel and walk back in the other direction. He hated seeing her so…so unkempt. She was always so proper and neat, she always looked presentable but she just looked like she'd been abandoned somewhere and then left on her own for weeks on end.

Neville had also noticed that Professor Snape was worse than usual, the man had always scared him shitless but he was being extra nasty in his classes. He had wondered briefly if the two were connected but dismissed it in a second, Professor Laurel and Professor Snape had nothing in common and besides, who would go out with him?

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It had been a week now that the boys in Slytherin hadn't picked on him, he saw them in class but they paid him no attention…maybe they had found a new target? He was hopeful but knew it wasn't true; they were probably just lying low… They would glance at him every so often and smile cruelly, if they were trying to scare him it was sure as hell working. By the end of the week his hands were shaking, he jumped at every little sound…he wasn't ready for an attack; he didn't want to fight anymore. He decided it was time to go and talk to Professor Laurel, she was the only he trusted after all.

The end of class bell rang and everyone stood up and left without delay.

"Hey Neville, let's go were going to be late for transfiguration."

"You guys go ahead I need to speak with Professor Laurel."

"Okay, Neville we'll tell McGonagall that you're with her."

"Thanks guys." Neville said, Harry clapped him on the back gently as they left the classroom. Neville slowly approached his Professor but stopped mid way. He watched as she slowly lifted herself off of the chair and collects her papers. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere and she looked like a zombie… Maybe it wasn't the best time to bring it up? Suddenly he was nervous, would she think he was a coward or that he couldn't stand up for himself? What if she thought he was only looking for attention? Suddenly he turned on his heel and strode out the door, maybe he would talk to her about it later…

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It had been almost three weeks now that Severus was no longer talking to her, she didn't know if she could handle it much longer. It was after dinner so she was sitting in her office trying her hardest to grade papers, she once again had tissues all over her desk but she hadn't cried in a couple days now…she felt like she had exhausted all the tears she could. She felt a dull pain in her chest that she was starting to get used to…not a good thing. Suddenly there was a knock at her classroom door. With a flick of her wand she opened it and waited for whomever it was to come into her office. The person walked past the desks until they reached the door to her office which was open.

"Professor?" Neville asked.

"Yes, Neville?" She asked, her voice sounded hoarse, she had a headache and in all truth, she didn't feel like dealing with him at the moment.

"I want t-to talk to you about something."

"What is it Neville?" She snapped at him, she rubbed her temples and tried to cool herself down; she didn't mean to snap at him. The boy seemed to distance himself when she barked at him.

"The boys in Slytherin…I think there up to something, they haven't been picking on me in almost a week now and I think---"

"You think their lying low or something?" She glared up at him with tired eyes.

"Neville, if they stopped it means they are finished with their juvenile pranks." She said still trying to keep her voice under control.

"But I'm serious I think there up to some—"

"Neville!" She yelled at him. "It's over ok? They've stopped, I'm sorry but I don't have time for this!"

The boy stood stock still and without saying a word he left and shut the door quietly behind him. She regretted her actions as soon as she had done them. She had work to do and she had a massive headache, she had been in a foul mood for the past three weeks and she hadn't meant to snap at him she was just…just…She knew there was no excuse for it, why was everything going so horribly wrong?! She felt hopeless and useless again, she was standing up from her chair…she hadn't even noticed she had stood up and yelled at the boy through her irritation.

She was so ashamed of herself that in a fit of anger she swept her hands across her desk and everything flew to the floor. Bottles crashed, books fell and her quills bounced off the tiled floor. Suddenly she gasped as pain shot through her fingertips. They were bleeding, she could tell. She waved her wand over the wound and shards of glass were removed quickly but painfully, she let them float over to the garbage bin and with one quick motion she quickly healed her fingertips. It seemed as though she had broken a small vial, it was the same one she had had Hermione touch when she had blinded the girl for the first time.

The only thing she hadn't realized was that the pain she had thought was from the glass was in fact something a lot more urgent.

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Neville was so ashamed of himself, it was obvious she was having a rough time and he had gone and aggravated her. He was embarrassed and wanted to make it up to her. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the muffled snickers and shuffling footsteps following him back up to Gryffindor tower. Suddenly a large black shadow enveloped him, his hands were tied behind his back and his necklace was ripped from his neck and broken with one swift snap.

"Who's going to help you now Longbottom?" Someone whispered in his ear, he gulped, his mouth felt dry and he prepared himself for a long night.

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Knock, Knock, Knock.

Someone was knocking on her classroom door again, maybe it was Neville. She hoped it was, she needed to apologize to him she was really starting to regret snapping at him. She hurried to the classroom door and wrenched it open.

"Neville, I'm so s—"but it wasn't Neville.

"Evening Professor." Came a whisper, it sounded familiar but with a suppressed anger.

"Harry?"

"Yes."

"What's wrong?" She asked slowly, something obviously wasn't right.

"You should know Professor; he came to see you after all…didn't he?" Harry's voice sounded odd, he sounded almost betrayed.

"Harry, what are you talking about?" She asked, she was starting to get scared, why did he sound like that? What happened?

"You promised you'd be there for him, you promised that no matter what…you would help him."

"Yes I did." She said slowly, she assumed he was talking about Neville…she had helped him, hadn't she?

"So much for that." The boy snorted.

"Mr. Potter," She said coolly "Would you mind explaining to me what has happened?"

"Oh nothing, Professor, nothing to concern yourself with, it's obviously not worth your time."

"Harry, please…what's wrong?" She was pleading now; her gut was twisting unpleasantly, she needed to know what this was all about.

"Well, you could always head up to the hospital wing, I'm sure he'll be up and ready to tell you all about it…" the boy said bitterly.

"Neville's in the hospital wing?" She asked, her voice went up a pitch, her heart started to pump faster than normal and felt ready to fall over.

"Yes, not that you care though, you obviously don't have _time _for him." Harry's glare was hard, she could feel it, his eyes were straining on her face…gouging her reaction.

"H-Harry, what's wrong with Neville? W-was it the boys in Slytherin? But that's impossible, the necklace was—"

"Broken." The boy whispered in a deadly voice. "They broke it off his neck…not to mention the neck itself."

"Oh my God." She whispered, this wasn't happening! This couldn't happen…

"But it's alright Professor, he'll be ok because Madam Pomfrey found him in time." She couldn't move, she couldn't even breathe.

"Thanks for your help; we knew we could count on you." Harry said slowly. He turned around and walked away.

Claire felt her stomach churned, her insides felt like a mush. She sank down against the wall outside of her classroom and brought her knees up to her chest. She tried to hold it back but it was too late. The first few tears leaked out of her eyes and pretty soon sobs racked her body. She couldn't even hold back the horrible sounds she was making; Neville was all she could think of. She brought her hands up to her face and cried harder then she had since her mother had died. She had let him down, her Neville…She had turned him away when he needed help, she yelled at him when he told her his suspicions and she snapped at him for seeking help…help from someone who had offered it and then taken it away. What had she done?

Suddenly she felt cold hands close around her own and pull them away from her face. She couldn't stop crying and heart wrenching sobs escaped her lips. Gentle finger tips brushed away her tears and held her face in a tight yet soft grip.

"Shh." Said a voice she knew only too well, she grabbed onto his shirt and refused to let go… she clung there and sobbed her heart out, but he didn't leave as she had expected him to.

\\\

Severus was walking by the corridors when he heard people talking; he turned the corner but stayed hidden in the shadows.

He watched the conversation between Potter and Claire with close attention, he was tired and had just spent the last few hours summoning potions for Poppy because it seemed as though Longbottom had had a hard trip.

He had felt bad for the boy; there was no reason for any student to pick on another like that. He listened to Potters hissed words, the boy was being extremely disrespectful and he wondered why Claire wasn't reprimanding him.

Suddenly she started to stutter, her face went pale and she gazed at him with round eyes.

"Thanks for your help; we knew we could count on you." The boy said acidly and stalked off, what an insolent child! He really didn't like that boy.

He glanced back at Claire and watched as her fragile body slid down the hall way wall. She started to shake uncontrollably and she looked as though she was going to be sick. He wanted to go over and comfort her but he knew better, he had his reasons for staying away from her.

Against his better judgment he stayed where he was and watched, her shoulders started to shake and silent tears escaped her eyes, after several seconds broken sobs racked her small frame. His heart screamed in agony as he watched her cry, he needed to go…he needed to go see her, to tell her everything was ok. No…he stopped himself, he had his REASONS! He needed to stick to them, he had to stay out of her life, and she needed someone better than him.

She started to cry harder than he had ever seen or heard her cry, his heart was bleeding, he couldn't watch this! But his eyes stayed glued to the scene in front of him. She started mumbling and choking out sobs. Suddenly his reasons for staying away from her seemed to get weaker by the second, he watched her crying, broken and in pain. Could he be there for her when she needed it? Could he help her when she was alone or scared?…could he protect her? For a split second the answer was obvious…yes, yes he could. And what of Lily? Could he replace her with another witch? But that's when he realized…he didn't need to replace her; he only needed to find more space in his heart for another. And find space he damn well did.

Finally, with his mind made up he strode over to her crumpled form without missing a beat. He bent down on his knees and removed her hands from her face. Her eyes were horribly red from weeks of crying and lack of sleep. He gently wiped away her tears and leaned his head against hers.

"Shh." He mumbled softly to her, suddenly she gripped his shirt in an iron grasp and didn't let go. She sobbed brokenly into his shirt and he wondered for the tenth time what could have possibly made her break down so horribly? He gently put his hands on either side of her face and leaned his head on hers he continued to mumble sweet nothings in her ears, hoping with all his heart he could make her feel better.

A/N- Hey guys, I was really sad to break them up for a while but thats only going to make the next chapter a bit sweeter, thanks so much for all of your reviews they are extremley appreciated! Thx guys! let me know what you think.


	22. The Taste of Autumn

Chapter 22

_Hey, a huge shout out to His Half Blood Princess for senidng me ideas and helping out with the plot thanks a tone!_

He sat down beside her and held her head and shoulders against him, she still continued to cry and it sounded like nails on a chalk board to him, he hated it when people cried. Knowing that it was from a source of pain that they were crying set his teeth on edge. He rocked her slightly against him not saying a word, right now she needed a physical anchor not words of encouragement, he would save those for when she could think logically again.

They sat there for a few more minutes but she continued to cry, he decided maybe they should go somewhere more comfortable so he got up but she pulled him back down forcefully.

"Claire, I'm not leaving." He said gently. Her grip slackened a little bit but her fingers were still entwined in his shirt. He raised a hand gently to her face and whipped the tears from them again; he touched her hair softly and ran his fingers through it in a comforting gesture. She started to quieten but tears still rolled freely down her cheeks. He scooped her up for what must have been the fourth time during the year and tried to carry her back through to her bedroom but she stopped him.

When he had picked her up she had encircled his neck with her arms and sobbed freely into his shoulder and the crook of his neck. When he had tried to bring her back into her quarters she unhooked her arms from around his neck and put them on either side of the door frame so they couldn't enter.

"Don't want to go into your quarters?" he asked quietly in her ear, she shook her head violently in response. He moved back quickly and she squealed in surprise while replacing her arms around his neck.

"My quarters it is then." He whispered and headed down the quiet corridor to the dungeons. He knew his hair was in her face so he unhooked one of his arms from her, he tried brushed it out of the way but realized it was caught on something. He looked out of the corner of his eye and watched as Claire absentmindedly curled the black lock in between her fingers. He had a tremendous urge to pull it away from her; it was 'greasy' after all, as many people put it.

He wasn't sure what she would think about it so he was about to try and pull it away from her but he stopped. He watched her again as she twirled his hair between her fingers, eyes red and puffy, silent tears still escaping her eyes and small noises of hurt escaping her pink lips. He decided he didn't want to disturb her and she didn't seem to mind so he continued on his way to his quarters.

He noticed the change in temperature as they got farther down and he squeezed her tighter to him. Once they finally arrived in his personal chambers he closed the door with his elbow and walked slowly towards the couch. He sat her down in her favourite spot and went to leave to get some tea but surprisingly enough she grabbed him around the waist and pulled him down on the couch.

He gave in and sat down beside her, he wasn't quite sure what to do at the moment so he cautiously rubbed small circles into her back. He wasn't the best at comforting and he knew it, he looked down at her again and felt his heart give a nasty tug when more tears fell down her face. Her face was buried in his chest so he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and head and continued to rub her back. Eventually she started to hiccup and he felt her eyelids drooping, oh no, he wasn't going to let her sleep until he figured this one out!

He cupped her cheek hesitantly and lifted her off his chest. She didn't meet his eyes so he knew she was still hurting from his rudeness. He turned her head so it wasn't buried in his robes and laid it back down on his chest, he was going to ask her some questions and he wouldn't be able to hear her if she had her mouth stuck in his robes. She didn't protest and he waved his wand carefully beside her. A tray of her favourite tea came floating in the dungeons, he tried to advance towards the coffee table so he could make it but she still had her arms locked onto his middle. He didn't like physical contact all that much, but he found that it didn't bother him as much when she did it, besides the fact that she was obviously in a great deal of pain.

He carefully managed to direct all the ingredients with a simple flick of his wand and heated the tea magically. He picked up both of the teas and handed one to her. She didn't take it and simply stared off into nothing; he sighed and carefully moved it under her nose. She inhaled and suddenly her eyes refocused and she slowly removed one arm from around his waist and took the cup in a shaking arm.

She sipped the tea as more tears descended in fewer numbers down her face. He noticed that her crying was letting up and he let out a small sigh of gratitude, he really didn't want to see her in that much pain anymore. Her face was still stuck to his chest and he hoped that she didn't spill the tea all over it, he didn't mind her crying on him but the tea was very hot…he could do without the burning pain.

"Alright?" He asked quietly, she simply nodded her head slowly.

"Would it be ok if I asked what happened?" He asked again, he knew she wasn't exactly happy with him and he intended on explaining fully but first he wanted to know what had caused her to cry so hard. She took a deep breath and for a moment he thought she wasn't going to answer him.

"I promised I would help him - protect him." She whispered in a cracked voice, it must have been soar from crying.

"Protect who?" he asked her quietly.

"Neville." She said more tears escaped her red eyes.

He didn't say anything but something clicked in his head, there was a red mark along the boys neck as if something had been ripped off of it, the Potter boy getting all bent out of shape and her face when she asked the boy what was going on.

"I gave Neville a necklace to warn me when he was in trouble. I promised I would help him and I promised I would be there for him no matter what. He came to me and I turned him away, he thought the boys who pick on him were lying low and that they were planning something…I turned him away…why? Because I was having a bad day." She finished bitterly.

"And look what happened, they ripped off the necklace and I didn't even know, they beat him within an inch of his life, he's in the hospital wing…because of me…" She whispered more tears leaking out of her eyes, ignoring her will.

Suddenly she jumped up, set her tea down on the table and tried to walk towards the door.

"I-I have to g-go see him! I have to tell him—"She was cut off when she felt strong arms grab her around her middle and drag her back down to the couch. She didn't protest though more tears streaked her face.

"I'm sorry." They both finished in a whisper at the same time.

"There is more than one person who needs to apologize tonight." He said to her.

"You can't go see him tonight, he is stable and sleeping, Poppy would never allow it, go see him tomorrow when he is awake." He mumbled softly to her. He knew she must be feeling helpless so he continued. "Even if you do go see him tonight he will not hear you, he is healing. When you see him tomorrow I guarantee you that he will look and feel much better and he will be more than willing to accept your apology." She exhaled deeply and he knew she would not attempt going to see the boy that night. Silence crept into the rooms and neither of them said a word. He was still holding her around the waist and his back was getting uncomfortable so he leaned back until he was lying down yet propped up on the couch. As he was lying down he brought her with him, he let her lay with her feet up on the couch, her head resting on his chest again.

"I'm sorry." He repeated to her.

"For what?" she asked him quietly.

"You know very well for what. I've been rude and insulting to you and I—would like to apologize."

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you do it? We were doing just fine before…and I was wondering if I did something wrong…"

"No." He said softly. No one spoke for a while as he gathered the courage to tell her something no one else was supposed to hear.

"You…you shouldn't be with me. I don't deserve you; I have done horrible things in my past. You deserve someone who can take care of you, treat you right and most of all not get you killed. If you stay with me I will end up hurting you in the end, because I cannot offer you the things you deserve, I can only offer you the things that you don't. I am not ---"he was cut off by a soft finger on his lips. It was removed after a few seconds and he looked down at her carefully, her tears had stooped completely and she was looking directly at him…well as directly as she could.

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She couldn't believe what he was saying! Where had all this come from? She quickly covered his mouth with her finger to stop the flow of guilt.

"Severus, you deserve more than any man I have ever met. How would you know what I deserve and don't deserve? How do you know that you can't provide me with the things I need? You have proven that you can tonight, much to my embarrassment. It takes a real man to own up to his mistakes and try and repair them. Only a coward would run away from the face of death when they so dearly deserve it. And the fact is, you stand and greet the face of death every week or month when you have done nothing but redeem yourself in every way. Now that, is a man who deserves a life of gratitude and praise from each and every person living because that man had risked his own life to undo all the wrong he had caused." She finished in a whisper, every word she spoke was the truth and she hoped dearly that he would understand.

He didn't speak; maybe he was mulling it over? She wasn't sure, no one knew it but Severus definitely had some personal issues he needed to deal with. Suddenly she got a very nice idea; her stomach did a flip just thinking about it. She knew she had already done it when he was sleeping but she wanted see him again, the mental image she had had was slipping away from her.

"Severus?" He didn't answer.

"Severus?" She felt his gaze shift to her face and she took a deep breath.

"I'll forgive you on one condition…"

"Yes?" He inquired taking a steady breath, was she really going to forgive him already? For three weeks of ignoring and being rude to her?

"I want to see you." She whispered, her voice sounded odd to him.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked, what was she talking about?

"I-I want to see you." She said again her voice holding a great deal of uncertainty.

Suddenly she unhooked her arms from around his waist and crawled up on her knees; she turned around and faced him. He was still lying on the couch and she felt him shift as he tried to get up. She slowly pushed him back down and she felt his chest quiver at her touch, she knew he didn't really like physical contact but she hoped that he would let her…

He gazed up at her as she hovered over him uncertainly, what was she doing? Suddenly his chest tightened and his stomach turned upside down. Her hands lifted up to his face and her fingers brushed either side of his face gently. He flinched and pulled away, what the hell was she doing?

"Severus, you have to relax." She whispered to him, he tried to sit up again but she pushed him back down gently. She could tell he was about to protest so she used her amazing begging powers…

"Please?" She mumbled, what was she asking for? He didn't understand!

He took in another sharp breath as her fingers were replaced upon his cheeks, his muscles immediately stilled and stiffened.

"I want to see you Severus." Suddenly it clicked, oh no! No, no, no, no, no. She was going to explore his face, wasn't she?

"I can't." He said gruffly.

"Why not?" why not… well there was a very large answer to that question and unfortunately it was positioned right in the middle of his face! He knew he wasn't handsome and he didn't need her to tell him that.

"Because I—"

"Shh." She said and put her finger back on his lips. "Trust me."

He sighed and took a deep breath trying to relax his muscles, if this was the only way that she was going to forgive him…than he would do it for her.

She replaced her fingers on his head this time. He shivered as her fingers weaved themselves in between lock upon lock of straight hair.

"What color is your hair Severus?"

"Black." He said quietly.

Good, if he said brown she would have absolutely no clue how to picture it.

She let her fingers fall over its length and smiled when it reached his shoulders, his hair was soft. She had no idea why people said it looked greasy. She brought her hands back up to his head and he stiffened when her fingers touched his forehead.

"Relax." She reminded him.

He made a visible effort to loosen his muscles but it was no use when she moved her fingers down farther. His skin was so soft but very cold and she wondered about that. Her fingers reached his eyebrows and she gently traced them.

"Close your eyes." She said softly.

He did as she had asked him to and she moved them over his eyelids. She traced their length and their form, he had almond shaped eyes.

"What color are your eyes?"

"Ebony."

"I beg your pardon? I've never heard of that color."

"It means black." He said slowly. She smiled another score for her! If this man was all black then she would have no trouble imagining him at all.

She moved her fingers down farther and he stopped moving completely, his whole body went rigid and he his face muscles contracted, she could tell he had his lips in a thin line. She avoided his nose completely, that she would leave till the end it seemed as though he had issues with it.

She moved her fingers down to his lips and he relaxed immensely. _Ah, so he does have issues with his nose. _She thought, she traced them carefully and she almost melted, his lips were so soft, they were thin and she couldn't stop tracing them. Finally she moved her finger over to the side and she traced his jaw line on each side of his face. She shivered when she realized how strong his jaw was. It was very defined, it was sharp and angular, just the way she liked it. Her fingers eventually met up in the middle were they traced his chin, it was wide and strong but it didn't stick out or anything. She smiled slightly and removed her fingers.

He started to sit up but once again she pushed him back down.

"I'm not done." She said quietly. He didn't move, she could feel his gaze lingering on her own, she could almost feel them pleading with her to let him go.

She shook her head slightly and put her fingertips between his eyebrows. He stiffened a new and she leaned her head in closer to his. She started slowly tracing the bridge of his nose, it curved in at both sides near the middle but came back up just in time to rejoin the tip of his nose. She let her fingers roam over the tip until it rejoined his face leading towards his lips.

She could feel the tension rolling off of him, yes he did have an unusually large nose but it was well defined, a work of art. Her hands shifted to either side of his face and she pulled his head up until her mouth was directly next to his ear. She tucked his hair behind it and let her lips touch his ear softly and whispered one word.

"Beautiful." She whispered so quietly she knew he barely heard it himself.

Suddenly he shifted his face and before she knew it his lips had gently, extremely softly connected with hers for the briefest moment. Electricity shot through her spin and her body gave a jolt. Wow…that was definitely something new. He suddenly stopped and pulled back quickly.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, I—"He was cut off as she placed her lips back on his. His hands shot up to her face and his fingertips entwined themselves in her hair. She moved her lips coaxingly on his and he responded slowly. She lifted her hands and placed them hesitantly on either side of his face, when he didn't pull away she pushed them back a little more roughly so she could wrap them in his hair.

He tasted so good she didn't want it to end, his kiss was so sweet, it was light and hesitant waiting for her to signal if she didn't want it anymore. She hesitantly pushed a little harder on his lips and he responded a little quicker. His breath tasted like he smelt, autumn. She couldn't seem to get enough of it, but wait, did she have bad breath? She was about to break it but he suddenly started kissing her a little more forcefully. There was no way she was going to break it now. She felt light headed and her stomach was flipping uncontrollably. Wow, she couldn't believe this was happening.

Her hair draped around them seeing as she was still laying over him. She moved her lips cautiously over his and he broke it. She let out a small sound of disappointment but took in some much needed air.

She laid her head back down on his chest and let her legs out from underneath her. He was already lying down so she simply straightened her legs and entwined them with his. Surprisingly, even with both of them with their legs outstretched they didn't reach the length of the couch; they still had several inches of space even though Severus was well past six feet tall.

Her head bobbed up and down on his chest, she listened to his speeding heart start to clam itself and smiled against his robes.

"I forgive you." She said quietly not really wishing to break the calm silence they were having.

She felt him chuckle appreciatively and felt her mind turn to mush as the sound vibrated off his chest, sending shivers all the way down her spin.

"Thank you." He said and she could tell he was smiling. That thought warmed her heart and she snuggled into his robes.

"Why are you always cold?" She asked suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked

"Well, I was seeing your face and it was ice cold, and your hands are always cold…"

"Indeed" he said quietly.

"I have no idea." He finally answered. "I don't notice it but I presume you do."

"It doesn't bother me or anything I was just wondering…"

"I've always had cold skin, maybe I'm cold blooded…"

"Oh yes, like a scary reptile right?

"Perhaps or maybe a dragon…"

She giggled slightly at that.

"Because you're so scaly right?" she said sarcastically.

"Mm, of course not." He mumbled.

"It would be an improvement though." She felt him growl and she smiled when she felt it vibrate through her. She loved listening to him.

She wrapped one arm around him and used the other to play with a button she had found next to her face.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?" He was falling asleep, she could tell.

"Why do you have so many buttons on your robes?"

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He was falling asleep, that day had been a horrible emotional roller coaster. The weight of her against his chest made his heart flutter and he lifted a hand and placed it carefully on the small of her back. Her hair was in his face so he inhaled deeply, it still smelt of vanilla and some sort of berry. With his other hand he combed his fingers through her hair carefully so he didn't catch any knots.

He couldn't believe she thought he was… what was the word? Ah yes…beautiful. Well he thought that was way over exaggerated…but in the heat of the moment it had been the sweetest word he had ever heard. He couldn't help himself when he had kissed her and at first he was horrified with himself but when she kissed him back his world went flying.

He felt raw and vulnerable displaying his affections like this but he couldn't help himself…what was it about her that made him lose control so completely?

That had been his first kiss in over…well probably more than twenty-one years. It had sent his world spinning and he didn't think he would ever forget it. His head still felt light and his eyes lids were beginning to droop… His heart wasn't tearing itself in two anymore…he felt at peace. He had managed to get the witch he lo—cared for a great deal and he was forgiven for being such a git to her. That didn't mean he would stop being a git in class though…he smiled slightly at that thought…Oh no the children hadn't done anything to deserve whatever amount of 'kindness' he was able to give. But her, Claire for some reason played across his mind every second of every day, his heart would bleed when he saw her cry but his stomach would do flips when he saw her smile.

She liked him the way he was and that was so rare that he naturally leaned more in her direction. He was starting to fall asleep again when he heard his name.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?" He asked

"Why do you have so many buttons on you robes?" He smiled, everyone seemed to want to know that… and she wasn't going to either… Not yet anyway.

"The better to keep you guessing with, my dear."

"I didn't know you've read the little red riding hood." She said, he could feel her smiling against his chest.

"Read what?"

"Never mind." She said with a small laugh.

"Mm, ok." He said, he moved his arm from her hair to her back to join his other one. He wrapped her in both arms and sighed contentedly.

With her leaning on his upper body and his arms around her he fell asleep.

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Claire felt him shift and tighten his arms around her. She almost giggled but refrained, she was giddy with happiness. They had had their first kiss and it was still playing over and over again in her mind. Her lips still tingled where he had placed them so carefully; he was such a sweet heart and a gentleman not that she'd ever tell him that because he would probably make her leave. She smiled at the thought of him being so sensitive.

Her chest tightened when she thought about the fact that he had kissed her first…that meant more to her then she could ever explain to him. She rubbed small circles in his chest and realized the rhythm of his breathing had changed…he was sleeping.

"Severus?" She whispered, he didn't respond.

"I love you." She said quietly, she knew he couldn't hear it and she didn't intend for him to, it just felt nice saying it out loud.

A/N- Hey guys! I think this is one of my favorite chapters so far lol anyway hope you liked it! let me know what you think. Thx a tone guys!


	23. Evil Teddy Bear of Darkness

Chapter 23

Claire's eyelids fluttered, her head was moving up and down slowly…Now why was that? She could hear soft breathing and a gentle heartbeat, suddenly all the memories from the night before came rushing back to her. He had found her when she was crying, he had brought her into his quarters, convinced her to go see Neville the next day, apologized and they…they had had their first kiss. The corners of her mouth twitched up a little bit and she inhaled deeply.

She loved being in his quarters, she felt comfortable, she felt at ease and most of all she felt safe. But there was one thing she loved more than his quarters and that was his couch. She wanted to steal it; it was _the_ most comfortable thing on the planet. _Other than his chest of course_. She thought with a sly smile. Then she noticed that for once, she was up before him…she was never up before him! Other than that, she just couldn't believe they had fallen asleep together, she didn't think he was ever going to let her do that.

She lifted her arm up from around his chest to play with the button in front of her again; she really did want to know why he wore so many. She started rubbing small circles over his rib cage and then down over the side of his torso. She could feel his ribs through his robes and this frightened her slightly. Was he that skinny that she could feel that? That couldn't be healthy…Or maybe it was because he was so well defined that there was absolutely no fat in the area…? She wasn't sure but she did know that it was probably because he wasn't eating enough….well she was going to fatten him up alright! Whenever they ate together she was going to make sure he ate every bite!

She was so caught up in her exploration that she hadn't noticed his hand creeping up behind her…making very sure not to alert her to its presence. Severus had been awake for a long time; he had had another nightmare but kept quiet so he didn't wake her up. He had remained still so she wouldn't notice. He had watched her wake up, he had watched play with his buttons and he could definitely feel her rubbing his chest. Well, he wanted to get up and stretch his legs so he mind as well do it with as much fun as possible.

He placed his hand at her waist without touching it, she hadn't noticed he was pretty sure, because she still continued to rub and play with his chest. He hesitated for a second; it really did feel magnificent when she did that but he knew what would feel even better…getting to stretch his legs.

He counted to three slowly in his head. Once he hit the last number his hand shot out and grabbed her waist.

"Caught ya!" He said quite loudly and possibly to noisy for that time in the morning. In the same instant she shrieked and fell off of him and the couch completely, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

"Severus!" She yelled at him, that was so uncalled for!

"Yes?" He replied trying hard not to laugh in her face.

He looked at her face full of rage and continued to try and hold in back at least some of his sinkers…he was failing miserably.

"Good morning?" He said sheepishly and sat up; he stretched his cramped legs and sore neck until he heard a faint pop at each end. He watched her closely and her face softened.

"Let me get that for you." She said softly.

He watched as she got up and walked to the back of the couch, she grabbed his shoulders gently and pulled him back until his back hit the couch. She gripped his shoulders and started messaging them; she moved her fingers up and started undoing the knots in his neck. She could tell he was enjoying it immensely because his lips were tight shut so he didn't groan appreciatively. Once she had every knot out of his neck she quickly grabbed his jaw from behind with both hands and yanked his head back roughly so he had to look into her eyes.

"Ever do that again, and I'll hex your balls off got it?"

"Of course dear lady." He said slowly trying to fight off a smirk that wanted to play across his lips so badly.

"Good." She rubbed her hands on his jaw line and let her thumbs trace his lips, she wanted to kiss him again but she knew she had morning breath, there was no way she was going to humiliate herself like that. So she leaned down and kissed his forehead tenderly instead.

She released his head and walked back around the couch; she quickly sat on his lap so he couldn't move and hugged him tightly.

"Can we do this properly?" She asked with a sigh.

"Good morning, Claire." He said quietly in her ear.

"Good morning." She said back and smiled at him.

"You know what?"

"What?"

She looked at him again and he felt his stomach turn upside down, she was beautiful even in the morning.

"Everyone thinks you're some evil demon bat or something but I think you're just a big teddy bear."

"Excuse me?" He said with and angry huff, he lifted her up and placed her beside him instead, he wasn't even going to touch her if she was going to call him a teddy bear.

"The fact is, my dear, that I _am_ an evil demon bat." _And I quite like it like that_. He added to himself.

"Oh come now Severus, my mother used to tell me that everyone is a teddy bear in some way."

"And _that_ is a story told to a three year old so they think the world is bright and fuzzy." He glared at her.

"Humour me Severus, please? What kind of teddy bear are you?"

"You and your inane questions." He scowled

"Please?"

"You are truly an idiot," He rose an eyebrow at her when she started batting her eyelashes at him. "The evil teddy bear of darkness how's that?" He sneered at her.

"Hmm, ok, do you feel better now?"

"About admitting that I'm in some way connected to a furry beast that children chew on when they're a year old…I think not."

"Do you feel better about being an evil teddy bear of darkness instead? You know, they could probably rule the world of teddy bears, if they wanted to…"

"Wow."

"What?" She asked looking at him curiously.

"You are an insufferable twit."

"Thank you."

He rolled his eyes at her, why were they having this conversation again? Suddenly a gurgling sound echoed through his chambers.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she simply blushed and rubbed her stomach.

"Breakfast then I suppose…" He said, he got up and headed towards his bedroom.

"Severus…Where are you going?"

"Taking a shower." He sighed rolling his eyes at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What about breakfast?"

"You know how to use the floo, call a house elf to bring it in." With that he stalked off into his rooms to take a shower.

She huffed in annoyance but walked over to the floo anyway.

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Ten minutes later Claire was still sitting on the sofa, she had called for breakfast but the house elves had told her it was going to be a while seeing as they were still preparing breakfast for the rest of the castle. She hadn't even gotten to order anything when they cut her off. She didn't know when she was going to get to brush her teeth so she had quickly used a breath freshening charm instead. Suddenly she knew Severus was in the room, his scent smacked her right in the face. Wow, what the hell did he wash with? She continued to inhale, it just smelt so good.

"You are free to take a shower too, you know."

"But I don't have a fresh pair of clothes with me."

"Transfigure some of mine, I have plenty."

She smiled at him but stopped in front of the door to his bedroom.

"It's in here right?" It was time to play the helpless blind woman.

"I'll show you."

Yes! Score for her! She felt his strong grip on her arm and his close proximity sent shivers down her spine. She used her wand to tell her where everything was situated. There was an enormous bed in the middle of the room, a small night table on either side of it along with a large closet to the left, a wide dresser directly in front of the bed and a long mirror to the right of the bed. They walked through a door in his bedroom that led to a wide bathroom.

Her wand told her that there was a large shower/bathtub in the corner of the room. Suddenly his grip slackened and he left the room for a moment only to return with robes in his hands.

"You can transfigure these however you want to; I have many of the same pair."

"What color are they?"

"Black"

"Could you change the color for me please?"

"Which color would you like?"

She thought about it for a moment…she didn't know what any other color looked like…

"Whatever you want."

He seemed to be thinking about it for a moment.

"How about you take your shower, transfigure them so they fit you and we'll decide the color afterwards?"

"Okay."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment and then he abruptly moved forwards and kissed her gently on the lips. Electricity shot through her body again and she didn't want him to stop but he broke apart from her slowly.

"Breakfast will surely be here when you are finished." He whispered in her ear. Without another word he turned on his heel and strode out of the room closing the door gently behind him.

Claire exhaled slowly, her lips where tingling and her stomach was in knots. She slowly took off her clothes and turned on the faucet. She turned it on hot because the dungeons were very cold, maybe that's why he was cold all the time?…he was constantly down here after all and he only went outside at night time…maybe he was a vampire. She laughed at herself, he would probably like being called that, she should try it sometime.

She stepped into the water and gasped as the heat hit her back, it burnt but after a while the sting started to dull and she started enjoying it. She let her fingers roam over the shelf and found to different boodles…actually they were vials, did he make up his own body lotion and shampoo? That would make sense. She lifted the first one; she opened it and inhaled deeply. It smelt like rain…people didn't realize that rain had a smell to it but she certainly did.

She set it back down and picked up the next vial, she uncorked it and inhaled deeply for that one too. Her eyes almost rolled back into her head. _This_ must be his body lotion; she thought and sniffed it again. It was like concentrated autumn. She smiled when she thought about the fact that both his scents were natural and quite the combination. Rain and autumn…they matched. She had never noticed the smell of his hair and intended to see if it really did smell like rain when she got out of the shower.

She had washed her hair and her body, she was ready to come out but she wasn't sure if she wanted to, it was so warm and the dungeons were freezing…but then again she could always attempt to warm herself against him…hmmm that made her chest heat up incredibly. With a sigh she turned off the faucet and got out shivering. She fingered her wand and accioed a towel. She quickly dried herself off and pointed her wand at the robes Severus had left her. She flicked her wand and felt the magic run through her fingertips. She walked towards it slowly and put his robes on. They fit perfectly now that she had made them small in many areas. However she did feel like there were too many buttons…she flicked her wand again and her robes were suddenly looser. There…much better.

She twirled her wand in her hand and her hair dried itself magically. She brushed it with a small brush she found on the counter and felt her hair, wow, it was a lot softer then she could ever remember. She transfigured a small comb of his into a toothbrush and brushed her teeth.

She slipped on her shoes and headed out of the bathroom. She walked back into his bedroom and felt a great urge to fling herself on his bed, she loved beds…but she didn't, he probably wouldn't appreciate it.

She finally opened the door a creek and shivered, it really was quite cold down there. She walked in and sensed him sitting at the dining room table, they had never eaten in his quarters before and she felt giddy just thinking about it. She walked a few more steps in and realized there was food on the table but he wasn't eating. Was he waiting for her? She felt her face heat up and her heart beat faster in her chest.

"Severus?" She felt him glance up at her and the corners of his mouth twitched up.

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Severus was in his own world, he hadn't noticed she had walked into the room. He lifted his head when he heard his name and the corners of his mouth twitched up into a ghost of a smile. She looked really nice. Her dark brown hair waved in curls around her face and her blue eyes were alight with energy. She was wearing his plain black robes but she had shrunk them so they fit her every curve. They really did look nice on her but she wanted to change the color…what was wrong with black anyway? But he supposed she saw black everyday so she wouldn't really want to wear the color too.

"So, which color Severus?"

He looked at her carefully, he never really liked blue but he thought maybe it would look nice on her. He flicked his wand and her robes immediately changed color…perfect.

His robes had turned into a swirl of dark brown and a sapphire blue that matched her eyes. She looked fabulous.

"So?" She asked him

"They are a mix of brown and blue." He could tell she didn't really understand but she nodded her head anyway looking uncertain.

He got up from his chair and walked over to her; he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He couldn't believe how much he was changing…he wasn't sure if he liked it but he assumed it would be okay if he only displayed his affection towards her.

"You look stunning." He whispered to her. She smiled softly and lifted her hand to cup his cheek.

"Thank you." She said, he noticed she seemed to relax immensely, well, he would be very insecure too if he could only go by what other people said and not be able to judge for himself.

He walked her over to the table and held out a chair for her, she sat down gracefully and he watched as she quickly swiped her wand over the contents on the table. He watched her smile brightened even further before she spoke.

"Severus! You got me a fruit salad, how did you know that was my favourite?"

"Lucky guess" He said, he didn't actually believe in luck, it just so happened that it was his favourite too.

They ate breakfast in silence but Claire noticed that he barely ate half of his plate, she had been observing him and he didn't seem to eat much at all, he only drank his coffee. She frowned a little in contemplation but stopped as soon as she noticed he was looking at her.

"Do you have any plans today Severus?" She asked him so he would stop staring at her like that, it was very unsettling.

"I was going to brew a potion for Poppy and correct some of my student's papers unless you had something else in mind…?"

"Well, I need to go see Neville today," He throat tightened when she thought of him, but the only thing that kept her calm was the fact that she could apologize to him soon and try and make things better. She was going to expel those boys herself if she had to. She noticed he had put his hand gently over hers; it was so gentle in fact she had barely noticed it was there. "But, I was wondering if we could do something afterwards?"

He simply nodded and she smiled at him, he was such a wonderful person, sarcasm and all. He could deny it all he wanted to, but she knew deep down…maybe even deeper down he only wanted to be appreciated and to make someone proud of him.

Claire took a deep breath and stood up from the table; she walked by Severus and quickly ducked down and kissed him on the head. She inhaled deeply and was pleasantly surprised; his hair did smell like rain. She smiled against his head and walked towards the door.

"See you in a bit." She called behind her and headed up towards the hospital wing. She listened as she walked towards the top of Hogwarts to students as they walked by. She heard them laughing and giggling, she heard some yelling and fighting and others who were simply having a pleasant conversation. It was a Saturday so all the students were out on the grounds or in their common rooms, she was hopping Severus would want to go on a walk with her out on the grounds, she had heard one of the students commenting on the fact that it was a nice day outside, they had said the sun was out and she quite enjoyed the warmth. She wondered if he would accept, she had never found him out on the grounds during the day when the students were out, she knew he liked to avoid them at all cost.

She finally reached the door to the hospital wing and pushed it open, her stomach was twisting unpleasantly. She walked inside and her wand indicated that Neville was sitting on the bed closest to her. She walked up quickly and realized the boy was sitting up reading a book.

"Neville?" She whispered. The boy's eyes snapped up to hers but she didn't feel the boiling resentment she deserved rolling off of him, instead she felt waves of curiosity.

"Professor?" The boy asked quietly.

"Neville I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you, this is all my fault, I can't believe I—"

"It's ok Professor." He interrupted her.

"No, it's not ok Neville. You came to me and asked for help, I turned you down and look what happened!"

"Professor, you've done enough. If it wasn't for you and the necklace you gave me I would have ended up here probably five times over by now."

"But that doesn't make what I did alright."

"No, but you were in a bad mood, it's all right we all have those days."

She didn't know what to say, this boy was way too forgiving.

"I promise I'll make it up to you, I was thinking about it and I want to give you extra defence classes, how about that?"

"I don't want you to take time out of your schedule just for me, I'll manage."

"No, I want you to come to my office every other day after your classes, we'll practice defence for two hours and then we'll head up to dinner together, how does that sound?"

"You really don't have to do this Professor; I can take care of myself."

She lifted a hand and cupped the boy's cheek, it was swollen. She moved her hand gently along his face and found scratches and more swelling. Tears started to prick the back of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Neville." She whispered a tear fell down her cheek and she felt the boy shift positions.

"Oh no Professor, don't cry! I'm ok, just a few scratches. Really! You don't have to get upset."

"Those boys are going to get in a lot of trouble don't you worry."

"Actually I was wondering if you…well I don't want you to expel them."

"What?"

"I mean, there just being immature, I don't want this to screw up their lives."

"Oh my Lord Neville Longbottom, you are too forgiving for your own good."

"Please Professor, do what you want to them just don't expel them."

"Whatever you want Neville, I promise I'll make this up to you."

The boy sighed finally realizing that she wasn't going to let it drop until she felt as if she had redeemed herself.

"Defence classes huh?"

"Yeah, sound ok to you?"

"Sounds brilliant, thanks Professor."

She put one arm around him and squeezed him gently in a one arm hug. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt her eyes tearing up again; she still couldn't believe that had happened.

"Any time." She said carefully and let him go, she was about to leave when she felt him tug on her cloak.

"You look really nice by the way Professor; your robes look familiar though…almost like they belong to-"

"Professor Snape?" She finished for him.

"Yeah." The boy said slowly. She bent down to his ear and whispered.

"Can you keep a secret?" He simply nodded his head quickly.

She lowered her voice even quieter and lifted a hand to cover her whispered words.

"They do belong to Professor Snape."

The boy's mouth hung open and she giggled slightly, she turned on her heels and right before she left, she turned back to the boy on the bed and held a finger up to her lips signalling for him to keep her little secret for her. She knew she could trust him, she wasn't sure if Severus wanted people to know he was what…officially dating now?

Her world felt light and airy again, Neville was going to be all right, she wasn't going to expel the brats that put him there because she wanted Neville to be happy but she was sure as hell going to punish them severely. But the best thing of all, her heart gave a leap, Severus liked her. She wanted to squeal out her happiness like a little girl but the hallways were still full of children and she didn't want to seem …unprofessional.

She practically skipped down the dungeons and knocked on the door. She waited impatiently for the door to open but when it did she jumped into Severus' arms without warning. He didn't say a word but she felt the surprise reflected in his posture as he went stiff immediately but relaxed when he noticed the small person that attacked him was Claire.

He stumbled back a few paces and she squeezed him extra tight, she was beaming into his robes. Her dilemma with Neville was dealt with, now all she wanted to do was spend time with him. Once his initial shock was over he put his arms around her and squeezed her tightly in return.

"What's this, a strength contest?" He asked her, a smile playing in his voice even though there wasn't one on his face.

"No" She said her voice high and light. "But it can be if you want it to, I would win though."

"Of course you would." He said rolling his eyes. He lifted a hand from around her and stroked her hair gently. They staid like that for a couple of minutes before he placed his chin on top of her head and replaced his arm around her waist.

"So, I'm assuming your meeting with Mr. Longbottom was acceptable?"

"It was better than acceptable it was just wonderful, I'm going to give him extra defence classes every other day."

"Good, the boy could use them."

She slapped his arm playfully but didn't bother disagreeing with him, the man was right.

"What was it you wanted to do today?" He asked her after a while.

"I was actually hoping we could go out for a walk, I heard it's a beautiful day out."

"Outside, you mean with the students running about? I think not." He snorted.

"Please Severus, I want to go outside."

"Then go."

"With you, Mr. Grumpy."

"I'm not being 'grumpy' I simply wish not to set foot outside were children are screeching and roughhousing."

"Please Severus." She pouted into his robes, she didn't really mean to but she was really upset that he wouldn't go with her.

"Are you pouting like a two year old?" He asked her.

"No." She said stubbornly.

"Let me see it and then I'll decide whether or not I will go outside with you."

She looked up at him and gave it her best pout. He chuckled deeply and she was having a hard time maintain her pout while his chest sent vibrations through her.

"It needs work but I suppose it'll do."

She smiled into his robes again but pushed back away from him; she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the dungeons.

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He was going to go outside with her long before she had her little fit, he just enjoyed seeing her getting all ruffled up for no reason. He really had no idea why he kept submitting to her will like he did. Normally he would never go outside with the students about but he found that if she wanted to go…well, he would be one step behind her.

He did enjoy teasing her and not that he would ever EVER admit it to ANYONE, he thought her pout was well…it was a little cute. Only a little though. He was satisfied with that and let her pull him out of the dungeons. _Well…there goes my comfort zone._ He thought as he was dragged onto the main floor. He carefully took his hand back from hers, he didn't want her to get upset or hurt but he wasn't sure he wanted people to know…well to know that he had a heart.

She looked back at him for a moment but didn't attempt to take back his hand. She raised her wand and he wondered what she was doing. She put it back down and walked a couple steps toward him. He watched as she leaned in closer to him, his breath caught in his throat as her lips connected to his. She brought her hands around his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss. He inhaled deeply through his nose and moved his lips back in response. His eyelids fluttered and he brought his hand up to her face, touching it gently. He saw stars through his eyelids and his stomach flipped over and over. His heart beat started to accelerate as she pushed against him roughly. Then suddenly she stopped and pulled away from him, she leaned her head against his shoulder and he tried not to groan in disappointment.

"Sorry, there was no one around and I wanted to get a last one in seeing as I can't even hold your hand out there." She said, her words half muffled by the fabric of his robes.

"No need to apologize." He said breathlessly.

She smiled against his shoulder and pulled away, he already missed that but he just wasn't ready yet…

She smiled and started walking away towards the grounds. He followed with a menacing stride and placed a scowl firmly upon his features.

They finally reached the front gate; he already had to glare at many students when they sent him curious looks. What? Had they never seen two teachers walking together before? But he already knew the answer to that. Of course they had, they just never saw _him_ with another teacher before, or out on the grounds.

They opened the door and the sun blinded him for a second, well she was right, it definitely was a nice day outside. He watched as her eyes lit up even though she couldn't see the sight before her. He watched as she inhaled deeply, it was cold outside because it was nearing December but that didn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. He gazed outside…oh great, snow. He didn't mind it all that much but all the white was a little unnerving. He waved his wand and his outer robes thickened, he wore it now like a coat. He discreetly pointed his wand at Claries necklace and it transfigured itself into a large and warm scarf. He then pointed it at her robes and did the same charm he had used on his own.

"Thanks." She whispered, he simply nodded his head. He watched as she transfigured her shoes into long black boots. He didn't need to because his were already boots; he gazed outside again and covered his ears, humph…he could already hear children squealing and screaming at the top of their lungs…it was very irritating.

He looked over the snow-covered grounds; the students were running around, throwing snowballs and such at each other. He noticed Claire had already walked into the snow and was treading her way through it. He followed her grudgingly and listened as the snow crunched under his boots, for some reason he loved that sound. He followed her until he noticed she was headed towards the tree they had sat under on their first date. He quickened his pace so it didn't look like he was trailing behind or 'stalking' her as some of the students were bound to say. They had finally reached it, he found it unusual that there were no students under it already; it was a very nice spot after all.

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Claire could feel the sunshine on her face, it felt wonderful. The cold wasn't unbearable and she listened to the happy squeals of girls and hearty hells from the boys, the children were having fun. She smiled and her wand indicated to her that she was very close to the tree she was heading for. She dubbed it _t__heir_ tree seeing as it was special in a way to both of them. She noticed that there wasn't anyone sitting under it and she smiled even broader. She took out her wand and waved it in small circular patterns, the snow underneath the tree melted. She quickly conjured a blanket and sat down on it. She patted the spot next to her, indicating to Severus that she wanted him to join her.

"Come Severus, they'll just think were two teachers enjoying the winter weather."

"Indeed, the problem is_ I_ don't enjoy the winter weather."

She sighed and patted the spot next to her again. He reluctantly sat down next to her and leaned his back against the tree trunk.

"See? That wasn't so bad was it?"

"I'm going to have to give every student who dares even glance at me detention."

"Well, you were bound to do it whether they looked at you or whether they looked at you beside me so what's the problem?"

"Good point."

She smiled at him and she could tell he was smirking. She noticed that they were indeed getting many curious glances and she could tell Severus was starting to get antsy. After several moments of silence she finally spoke.

"What do you see?" She asked him quietly.

"Snow."

"OK smart ass, detail please."

"Language."

"Bite me."

"I might."

She could tell he was trying not to smile, after all, that wouldn't bode to well with his evil potions master bit.

"Why? Are you a vampire?" She asked him.

"Do you want me to be?"

"Maybe."

"Then you better hide your neck tonight."

"Mmm, I don't think I will."

"Suit yourself." He said with a smirk firmly in place.

She sighed and played with the blanket underneath her.

"Seriously Severus… What do you see?"

"Annoying children."

"Other than that." She said scowling at him.

He sighed deeply and she could tell he was looking around him.

"The grounds are all covered with snow, every hill. The tree we are sitting under has snow leaning off the branches…" He continued for a while describing the land, the more he talked the more his tone held a little more fascination as he examined every detail. She listened to his voice, his honey sweet voice and she closed her eyes, trying her best to picture everything he was saying to her.

"The lake in front of us has frozen over, the sun is sparkling off of it, and it looks like small diamonds sparkling over miles and miles of frozen water…" His voice was serious now and she could tell he was off in his own world.

"What else do you see?"

"I see you."

"Do you?" She said, sounding indifferent.

"Yes." But his voice wasn't joking…his voice was still serious.

"Your eyes are blue, your hair is wavy with a mahogany color…it actually has a small tint of red when the sun hits it just right…" His voice was soft and it seemed as though he had forgotten there were many, many children still around them…it even seemed as though he forgot she was there herself.

"Your cheeks are pink from the cold, as are you lips. Your eyes are sparkling and your skin…well it reminds me of a parceling doll it's so white. Not as white as mine of course…my skin color is unhealthily pale."

She felt heat rush up to her face as he continued to describe her features to her…no one had ever told her what she looked like.

"Ah, now look…your blushing."

"Shut up."

She felt him raise an eyebrow at her but she smiled a little to reassure him that she was only kidding.

She moved her hand a little towards him and she curled her fingers around his. He shifted and she supposed he was trying to remove her hand from his but instead he moved a little closer to her, their bodies shielding their small display of affection.

A/N- Hey guys, I really hope you guys are enjoying their relationship so far becauseI find its getting harder and harder to keep him in character, let me know if theres something thats bothering you, thx for the continued reviews guys, they always make my day ;)


	24. Silk Shirt

Chapter 24

Draco was sitting alone on his bed. The dormitory he shared with three other students was empty except for him. He fingered the sheets beneath him carefully; they were the Slytherin colors of course but made of expensive silk that his father had bought for him. He ran a finger through his bleach blonde hair and ruffled it until it was no longer slicked back perfectly or otherwise combed neatly. For once he wanted to be messy, he wanted to slack off and he wanted…he wanted to be a normal teenager. Not the son of a death eater. His stomach was twisting horribly, what had he done? He had entered a new click of seventh year students who were about to become death eaters only around a month or two later, and look what happened already.

_How does it feel picking on other kids?_ His mind asked him.

_Feels great._ The part of his mind that sounded like his father shot back.

_I bet Father would be proud…wouldn't he?_ His mind asked him again.

_Yes, yes he would_. But the part that sounded like his father didn't seem as confidant.

_But the question is…Are you proud of yourself?_ Nothing answered and he shook his head roughly.

"Stop talking to yourself." He mumbled and continued to finger the blanket underneath him.

The boy sitting cross-legged on his bed was contemplating his latest actions. Ganging up on the Longbottom kid. He didn't really like Longbottom all that much, the boy wasn't very courageous, he wasn't overly smart, he wasn't strong or cunning and yet, people still liked him, he still had good friends. That infuriated Draco, why was it the kid had nothing special about him and he was so well liked?

But was it a good reason to beat him senseless? Suddenly he didn't feel so cool anymore, he didn't like the seventh years who promised him by starting a reputation like that at Hogwarts would help him into the Dark Lords inner circle. All of a sudden he realized…he didn't really care if his father was proud of him or not. However he did fear the consequences of refusing a direct order from him. He didn't really want to join the Dark Lord…not that much. The aspect of power was attracting to him but other than that killing people all the time didn't really take to his fancy.

Suddenly the door creaked open and straight black hair poked itself inside the room followed by a smirking face.

"All done sulking Draco? Come on, it's nice out come for walk with me." She whined.

"Go away Pansy, how come you can get into the boys dormitory anyway?"

She completely ignored his question and her face turned mocking.

"Oh come on spoiled brat, get your arse out here and take me for a walk like a gentleman."

Something clicked in his mind, Pansy had always called him spoiled brat but it was all a joke…wasn't it? Actually, all of Slytherin had called him spoiled brat...it was practically his nickname and the girls thought it was cute for some reason. But it was in good fun wasn't it? And then the reality hit him…they weren't kidding around, he was a spoiled brat.

He got up abruptly from his bed and pushed past Pansy until he reached the hallway, he needed to get away from everyone.

"Come on Draco, worried about the consequences you'll never get?"

He stopped and turned around to face her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jason overheard Longbottom in the hospital wing asking that you idiots don't get expelled."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because it's Longbottom, who cares? Now you can pick on him all you want and he won't say a word."

"I'll be back later…I want to be alone."

"Draco, don't be a baby you…"

Her voice was drowned out as he hurried down the corridors. Why had he done that? They had practically beaten the daylights out of him and he was asking that they didn't get expelled? It didn't make sense. He ran into the common room and the sight before him left its mark.

The entire common room was icy as soon as he walked in. He gazed around and the room was silent, all eyes were on him. Boys and girls of all years stared at him like he was an outcast. The girls looked at him in disgust and turned their heads away; the boys did the same but shook their heads in disappointment. What was happening? Why were they looking at him like that? Longbottom was still alive after all.

He hurried out of the Slytherin common room and out into the main hallway. He walked carefully towards the Great Hall, maybe they would have some lunch still left over? It seemed word had spread about him and his click of seventh years because every person he passed glared fiercely in his direction. People didn't normally take well to him in the first place but they would simply shoot a glance in his direction and keep walking, but not that day. It seemed as though they took extra care to fully accuse him of everything with one glance.

A couple of students even drew their wands but they were pulled away by friends while whispering words of restraint such as 'We'll get him later, don't cause a scene.' Or 'He'll get what's coming to him in the end, keep walking.' His stomach tightened and he felt like he was going to be sick, was he the official target that day? He finally reached the Great Hall but as soon as he set one foot in practically all the students still there glared at him. They all started whispering at once and some people started shouting at him.

"Hey Malfoy! How does it feel having one of your classmates in the hospital wing?" A boy near the back called.

"What did Neville ever do to you?" A Ravenclaw girl called after him.

"You're such a bully! Go run home to daddy, maybe he'll show you a couple more Dark Art curses!"A Sixth year Hufflepuff yelled, many people nodded their agreements.

He turned on his heel and walked back out. Ok, so maybe he had upset a few people… Why weren't they picking on the seventh year boys instead of him? It was their idea! But he knew inside that that didn't

matter, he had participated so it was only right that they would be angry with him. But Come on! All this for Longbottom? Why did they care so much?

He walked up to the giant oak doors and pushed them open, the sun was shining and everyone outside seemed to be enjoying themselves. He conjured up a scarf and wrapped it around his neck; he walked outside and listened as the snow crunched under his shoes. The students outside were too busy to notice him but the few that did glared at him to.

He looked over at the lake and noticed some people were skating on it, he walked over to the frozen edge and sat down in the snow, he simply watched the people skate by, lost in thought.

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Claire was having a pleasant conversation with Severus, well as pleasant as conversations were with him, under the tree. They had been there for a couple of hours; it had been a while since the students glanced their way. She supposed they were over the initial shock of seeing their potions Professor out on the grounds and he hadn't internally combusted or else turned into dust on the spot because of the sunshine, they all seemed to believe he was either an over grown bat from hell or the ever so popular vampire. She smiled again at the thought, it did suit him…

She shook her head and lifted her wand; she would use it from time to time to check out her surroundings. She enjoyed checking out where the students were, what they were up to and such things. With the help of her wand she realized that the young Mr. Malfoy was sitting only a couple feet away from her. She attuned her senses to him specifically and felt the waves of uncertainty, confusion and the beginnings of shame rolling off of him.

"Is Mr. Malfoy interesting you in some way?"

"Hmm, I want to go talk to him, but I want to make sure I'm saying the right things."

"Well, if you are wondering what his problem is, I may be of some service to you."

"What do you mean?"

He whispered something so low she didn't quite catch it.

"He's upset because it seems as though the entire student body, even those of his own house, are treating him as an outcast…I can't say I blame them, he's going to be hearing an ear full from me."

"Severus, did you useLegillimency on him?" Her tone was disapproving; she didn't think it was right to invade someone's personal memories. He didn't answer so she assumed he had.

"I'll be back in a minute."

He nodded his head and she lifted herself off the ground and headed towards the young boy.

"Mr. Malfoy" She greeted him coolly.

"Ma'am" He answered just as coolly.

"May I have a seat?"

"Do you see anyone beside me? Oh yeah you can't." The boy sneered rudely.

"You're right I can't, so please enlighten the blind woman you are currently insulting."

"There is no one there." The boy said offhandedly.

Claire cautiously sat down beside the student and concentrated on the emotions she felt vibrating off of him.

"What are you staring at?" The boy spat at her.

"I can't stare, remember?" She answered with a cool smile.

"Whatever."

"My, my aren't we disrespectful today?" She said, she could tell he desperately wanted to add something probably very rude to her comment but bit his tongue.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play stupid Mr. Malfoy; you know very well what I'm talking about."

"None of your business." He sneered.

"You know if you keep sneering at me like that your face is going to get stuck like that permanently."

"Does it look like I care?"

She shrugged and a bitter silence fell over them.

"So… Has anybody been looking at you differently today?"

She could tell he was glaring at her but played the innocent anyway.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't."

The boy took a deep breath and played with the snow underneath him.

"They all hate me…The entire school hates me."

"They don't hate you…They're just disappointed in you."

"Gee, thanks." The boy said rolling his eyes.

"There is a difference you know."

"Sure there is."

"If they hated you, they probably would never change their minds about you no matter how much you changed in the future. When someone is disappointed in you…you can always fix that."

The boy didn't say anything so she continued.

"They are disappointed in you now…but if you continue to do what you are currently doing…then they might end up hating you."

The boy continued with his silence so she sighed and forced her voice to go softer.

"I know your father wants you to become a Death Eater."

"So?"

"So I want you to think about the school as a small scale…it is actually quite small compared to all of England and possibly other countries, am I right?"

"What's your point?"

"Well think about this…think about what you have done to Mr. Longbottom. No he isn't dead but he was a friend to many people and you injured him gravely."

"It wasn't just me, the others hel—"

"You still participated though did you not?"

"Yes." The boy said bitterly.

"You injured him gravely and upset almost the entire school, yes?"

"Yes."

"Now think on a larger scale…If you became a Death Eater and hurt innocent people every day, how would the entire country perceive you?"

"Like the students here at Hogwarts." The boy said quietly, she knew now that he was starting to understand the magnitude of the decisions he was making.

"Exactly, now Mr. Malfoy, do you enjoy the way people treat and talk to you right now?"

"No." The boy said quietly.

"Then don't you think you would be worse off if the entire country treated you the same way?"

The boy didn't answer so she took that as her time to leave.

"Think about it Mr. Malfoy, I know you'll make whatever decision you feel is best for you." With that she got up and headed back towards Severus.

"May I inquire as to how you have rendered young Mr. Malfoy so incapable of speech?" Severus asked once she had settled back on the ground next to him.

"Just a little common sense is all." She winked at him.

"The sun is setting." He said quietly.

"Already? We must have missed lunch then."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really." She sighed.

"Ready to head back inside?"

"Ok." He stood up quickly and held out a hand for her to take. She gratefully grabbed it and hauled herself to her feet.

With a flick of her wand she realized that many of the students were gone.

"Severus where did everyone go?"

"I suppose they're eating dinner in the Great Hall, why?"

"Hmm, actually dinner in the Great Hall sounds wonderful."

She could tell he was making a face but he didn't say anything.

The couple walked back through the giant oak doors and headed for the Great Hall. Once they arrived Claire noticed Severus flinch at the loud noises coming form inside.

"You really don't like children, do you?"

"You have no idea."

She laughed quietly and they walked into the Great Hall together. She waved her wand and realized that all the teachers were already at the table and she guessed that the meal must have been half over already.

They took their seats and she realized that they already had food placed in front of them. It smelt delicious, she beamed when she realized they had put an extra helping of mashed potatoes on her plate, she simply adored the potatoes the house elves made.

She dug in as soon as she sat down and noticed that Severus was eating at more appropriate pace…oh well, she wanted to eat like a starved student, she was hungry and hadn't realized it until that moment.

All too soon her plate was empty and she was still hungry for the potatoes she loved so much. She flicked her wand discreetly in Severus' direction and noticed he still had potatoes left on his plate. She carefully, oh so quietly reached her fork over to his plate. She held her breath in hopes that he wouldn't notice. Her fork moved ever so slowly towards his plate, inch by inch. Finally she had reached the end of his plate and was getting ready to strike when all of a sudden…

CLANG! His fork met hers loudly right before she could reach the potatoes she wanted so desperately.

"Don't even think about it." He growled at her.

She removed her fork and huffed in disappointment, crossing her arms in front of her.

She heard a couple of sinkers from the other teachers but paid them no mind; she was upset and still hungry.

\\\\

The teachers were all watching him now; they couldn't believe someone had dared try and take something off _his_ plate. Other than that, they simply couldn't believe she had attempted it and come out of the attempt unscathed…and alive.

He glanced in her direction and rolled his eyes. He carefully picked up his plate and scooped his food onto hers. Her face brightened yup immediately and she looked up at him with her blue eyes shining. What was wrong with her? They were just potatoes after all.

He watched her as she happily scooped them up and ate them; she looked like an exited two years old. He rolled his eyes at her again and leaned his head against the palm of his hand. She finished eating them and smiled at him again, she leaned in a little closer to him and it looked like she wanted to hug him, alarm bells went off inside his head, she wouldn't dare would she? It seemed she did and he leaned into her ear quickly.

"Not now." He hissed at her. She leaned away from him and looked disappointed but didn't try anything else for the remainder of the meal. The teachers were sending them curious glances from time to time but eventually they stopped. Severus was getting impatient…believe it or not, he wanted to hold her in his arms again…he wanted to kiss her again too.

Claire had finally finished her meal and he stood up quickly he glanced at her briefly and strode out of the hall now almost devoid of children. They would be heading up to their dormitories by now so he assumed it would be alright if he escorted Claire to her bedrooms, he doubted she'd want to spend another night in his rooms. As he walked out of the hall he noticed that Claire was following him out. _She's very discreet isn't she?"_ He thought sarcastically to himself. As soon as the doors closed behind them Claire entwined her fingers in his. He looked around the hallway and noticed that there were in fact no students wandering about. Good, he didn't want anyone seeing him at her quarters.

They started walking along the corridors in silence until they reached her rooms. The torch lights in the hallway were very dim and he wondered about that but pushed it to the back of his mind. He squeezed her hand gently and let go.

"Goodnight Claire I will see you in the morning." He meant to leave but as soon as he took a step in the other direction she grabbed his hand and pulled him back. He looked at her for a moment in complete confusion until she wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him into a hug. He squeezed her back tightly and rested his chin on top of her head. She buried her face in his robes and inhaled deeply…why did she always do that?

"You know…I really love the body lotion you have."

"Would you like some?"

She thought about that for a moment but shook her head in his robes.

"I want that sent to mean something special…it smells like you." The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile as he held her close to him, who knew someone would actually _want_ to smell him?

"I could make you something else." He said to her.

"Don't worry about it Severus." She said, her voice muffled by his robes. They swayed a little back and forth as they held on tightly to each other.

"How did you manage to make a shampoo that smells like rain?"

"Hmm?"

"The shampoo that you have…it makes your hair smell like rain."

"Really?"

"Yeah…you didn't know that?"

"Clearly." He said sarcastically but the bite in his tone was barely there anymore.

"I can't believe you hadn't noticed…"

"Well I don't have acute senses due to a disability." He bit his tongue immediately, would she be offended by that?

"It's not a disability." She said frowning into his robes.

"You're right, I apologize."

"No need to apologize Severus, I consider it a learning opportunity instead."

"Of course."

"It's really not all that bad."

"Indeed."

"Are you always this cooperative?"

"No."

"Ah." She giggled quietly into the fabric of his robes and hugged him tighter. She really did love the feeling of his strong arms holding her tightly to him. She turned them around and she gently pushed him back against the stone wall, they were standing next to her classroom door. With his back pushed back against the wall he pulled her gently to him and resettled his arms around her. He kissed her forehead gently and then started trailing kisses down the side of her face.

"Severus, what are you doing?" she said through small giggles, he was tickling her. He didn't respond but continued trailing kisses down until he reached her jaw line. He then continued down her neck and she shivered, well…he definitely wasn't tickling her anymore.

"You've given me permission to replenish my stores, so I'm helping myself." He purred against her. What was he talking about? She didn't give him permission to… what was it? Replenish his stores? What did he mean by that?

Suddenly she felt his teeth against her neck and she squealed loudly. The more he moved his teeth against her skin the more it tickled and pretty soon she was laughing quite loudly.

"Severus! S-stop! That t-tickles!" She said in between giggles. So that's what he meant! His blood stores…he was referring to their vampire joke. She really needed to pay more attention because it seemed as though he had taken it as more of a challenge than a joke. She continued to laugh and tried to push herself away from him but the more she struggled the tighter he held her close to him.

Her giggles were getting louder and she was afraid a student would walk down the corridor and see them but she simply couldn't stop. Then, quite abruptly his teeth were removed from her neck and his lips were pressed firmly to hers. She gasped into his mouth out of surprise and quickly entwined her fingers in his hair. He lifted her off the ground a few inches and she completely melted at his touch. She wondered what had gotten into him because he seemed to be putting more feeling into his kiss then usual…She laughed for thinking that, they had only kissed …what? Three or four times and she was calling it _usual?_ She mentally shook her head and refocused on what was happening before her. She inhaled deeply and pushed more firmly onto his lips. He groaned quietly, so quietly that she almost missed it. That small sound from the purest part of him made her stomach come alive with butterflies. That one small sound fogged her brain and all she was conscious of was his soft lips connected to hers.

"Hem, hem." Someone cleared their throat behind them; Severus immediately dropped her gently on the floor and broke their kiss swiftly.

Heat raced up to her cheeks slightly and she turned to Severus who had turned stiff as a board.

"Having a pleasant time are we?" said a very amused voice.

\\\\

Minerva was walking down the corridor; she needed to speak to Claire about the arrangements concerning Neville with his new defence lessons. The boy had told her about how Claire had been watching over him almost every day when the boys were picking on him. He had told her that Claire had offered him extra defence lessons and wouldn't take no for an answer. She was very proud of her new co-worker, most teachers just simply didn't have the time for that sort of thing but it seemed as though Claire was willing to take it out of her spare time.

She turned the corner and the sight before her left her speechless. There, propped up against the wall was Severus Snape, lips glued to none other than Claire herself. He had her lifted up into his arms and was kissing her passionately. Her Severus, the little black haired boy who had grown up with nobody in his life was snogging a co-worker in the middle of a hall way! She watched them for a few more seconds and noted the pure bliss on his face, her heart warmed immensely seeing him so happy, she hadn't seen him that happy since the boy was with Lily Evans. She felt a horrible tightening in her chest when she thought about the young couple, the two had potential…they had something special.

She couldn't help the smile that was spreading across her face; it had been at least twenty one years since she had seen any sort of emotion play across her former student's face, other than anger and irritation that is.

The man had also been untouchable for almost as long as she had met him, even with Lily they didn't share much physical contact, she even doubted they'd shared a kiss. But as she watched the scene in front of her she realized how comfortable he seemed around her. She cared a lot for her former student even though he didn't believe it, she had always wished, even prayed on occasion, that he would find someone special who deserved him. The more she thought about it the more Claire seemed to be that special someone, the girl was sweet and caring, she had her own sense of humour and best of all she was extremely intelligent. The woman would have to be or else Severus would probably get bored with her quickly, or annoyed whichever one came first. The girl could probably teach him a lesson too when it came to being sensitive, after all, how could you not be with a blind woman on your arm?

Minerva finally decided to intervene, normally she would have turned around and walked the other way but she didn't' think Severus would appreciate it if a student rounded a corner and viewed their little…scene.

"Hem, hem" As soon as she cleared her throat they disconnected themselves from each other and she watched as Claire's cheeks went bright pink as well as Severus'. She almost laughed, she had never seen the potions master blush before and it was the oddest contrast between his pale white skin tone and flaming pink cheeks.

"Having a pleasant time are we?" She asked, she couldn't help it… she had to tease him.

Claire simply stared at her wide eyed as if she were a student ready to hear her punishment.

"M…Minerva, what pleasant surprise." Severus scowled at her. She simply chuckled and clapped him gently on the shoulder.

"Oh come now Severus! You were caught snogging another teacher in the corridor and you expect me to simply walk by without teasing you just a little?"

"Your timing is impeccable as usual Minerva." He sneered at her.

Claire let out a loud breath and turned towards her.

"I wanted to speak with you dear, that's why I'm here." She turned around and winked at Severus, his scowl only deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest. _Anymore and there'll be a rain cloud over his head. _She thought to herself.

"I wanted to make sure you're ready to handle having Mr. Longbottom after your classes."

\\\\\

The conversation went on for a ten minutes more, Severus was leaning against the wall one arm crossing over his chest and supporting his other arm while he examined his fingernails.

Finally Minerva turned towards him and he was about to bid her goodnight but instead she walked up to him and cupped his cheek gently.

"I'm proud of you, you know. You've picked out a fine one; she'll give you what you deserve. Just make sure you're there for her." She said quietly to him, she smiled one last time and he tried with all his might to scowl at her but for some reason his facial muscles wouldn't agree with him. He soon gave up and sighed.

"I will be." He said quietly.

"Good." She tapped his cheek lightly and that time he truly did scowl at her.

"Goodnight to you both." She said and walked out of sight.

Severus looked back at Claire and grimaced…they had been caught.

"It's not that bad you know."

"Speak for yourself." He huffed.

She walked up closer to him and he held his arms open. She walked into his hug and sighed contently.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"She whispered into his robes, she really didn't want to be apart from him at the moment.

"I beg your pardon?" Had he just heard what he thought he did?

"I want you to stay with me tonight." She said a little louder.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer so she sighed and tried again.

"Please?"

He cleared his throat and rested his chin on top of her head…he really liked doing that.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

She squeezed him tighter and then broke apart from him. She opened the door to her classroom and they walked inside with his arm still around her waist. They walked past her office and into her quarters. She pulled him into her bedroom and she flopped down onto the bed.

"I love my bed." She said with a yawn.

"Tired?"

"Actually I am...Hold on I'm going to get ready for bed."

Claire walked into her bathroom and changed into a long nightgown; she brushed her teeth and her hair and walked back into her bedroom. She noticed Severus was still standing next to the bed.

"Aren't you going to get ready?"

"I suppose."

She sensed him leave the room and assumed he was conjuring his things from the dungeons…why hadn't she thought about that in the morning? Oh well, she liked wearing his clothes. She sat on her bed and ten minutes past…what was he doing? She got up from the bed and knocked on the bathroom door, no one answered, she walked back out of her rooms and into her living room when she noticed he was lying on the couch.

"Severus, what are you doing?" He turned his head towards her and sat up slightly.

"Getting ready to sleep, why?"

"You're not sleeping on the couch!"

"Then where am I sleeping?" He asked sounding irritated.

She walked over to the couch and pulled his hand; he lifted himselfup off of itand followed her back into her bedroom.

"In here silly." She said quietly and pushed him back on the bed, that's when she realized he was wearing something incredibly soft and cool.

"I can't sleep in the bed with you."He said matter of factly.

"Why not?" She said, it hurt her a little that he didn't want to.

"Because…Because it's inappropriate."

"How is that? Were just sleeping Severus, nothing else." She said blushing at the implication.

"Of course! I was simply saying that…It's your bed and as such I shouldn't be…It's not right for me to—"

"Stop being such a gentleman." She whispered with a small smile.

She crawled in the bed after him and lifted up the sheets, he slipped underneath them and she pulled them up until they passed her shoulders. She felt him flick his wand and assumed he had turned out the lights. She moved closer to him and quickly flung her arms around his middle before he could start up the whole gentleman bit again. As soon as she did she smoothed her hands over the fabric of his night ware.

"Severus? Do you wear silk to bed?" She whispered.

"What if I do?" He growled in her ear.

She rubbed her face in it and then leaned her head up so she could snuggle into the crook of his neck.

"It's soft is all." She said quietly

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and leaned his head against the top of hers. Her fingers continued to play with his night shirt and she brought a hand away from his back to rub small circles in his chest again. She was playing with the small buttons on the front of his shirt when she noticed that one near the middle was open. She slipped her hand inside and touched his warm chest. He inhaled sharply but she gently ran her fingers along his muscles innocently. His body was extremely warm and his skin was so soft that she didn't want to take her hand out. She moved her hand to the side until it found her other one situated at his back. She had encountered a few scares on the way but kept in her small gasps of horror she knew wanted to escape her lips. He leaned his lips against her forehead and kept them there. She was now hugging him tightly again, one arm against the silky fabric of his night shirt and the other against his warm skin underneath his silk shirt.

"Goodnight." she whispered

"Goodnight." He whispered back, his words slightly muffled against her forehead.

Her eyes started to droop and Claire fell deep into the best sleep of her life.

A/N- Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, I was really tired and couldn't seem to finish it lol. Anyway, I have to work tomorrow so I don't think I'll be able to post another one untill maybe the next day. Hope you guys are enjoying reading this, thanks again for the reviews!


	25. Mistletoe

Chapter 25

It was finally Christmas Eve. Claire had been waiting for weeks; she had been so excited she just couldn't wait. Normally only children could possibly get that excited at Christmas time, and usually, Claire really didn't like that holiday. She had spent most her life at an orphanage, her Christmas' were normally small, quiet and with few gifts. She had learnt at a young age not to expect a lot of presence because her parents didn't receive a generous pay check but those numbers diminished even more when Claire was sent to the orphanage. Every other Christmas after that one was spent pretty much alone except for the few friends that she had made threw out school who would send her chocolate and such things.

She had told Severus not to buy her anything because she was so used to not receiving things that she didn't feel it was right that he spend money on her. Of course he had argued the fact over and over but eventually he gave in…the only thing was that he never said _she_ couldn't buy him anything. She had taken that to her full advantage and gone out many times but couldn't seem to find that one special thing she wanted to get him. She had gotten him something as more of a joke but it actually turned out to be something incredibly useful. She had gotten him a small bat pin. 

The owner of the shop had told her it was silver with black stones embedded in the wings and head. It had cost her a pretty penny but he was worth it after all. Once the bat pin was settled against your hair it would magically pull all the strands of hair in your face back underneath its wings so they won't get in the way. She thought that could be very useful for when he was brewing potions. The best part was he would wear it on the outside of his robes to and it would clasp his cloak together without actually putting a whole through it. She hoped he liked it but she still wanted to get him something else but she didn't know what! 

She was wandering around in Hogsmeade alone, Severus had offered to come with her but she respectfully declined…it wouldn't do for him to see his present now would it? Claire walked along crowded streets, her wand pointed in many directions trying to figure out which shop she wanted to go into…

"Hi Professor." Said a rather high pitched voice.

"Hello Miss Granger, I completely forgot that it was Hogsmeade weekend for the students who are remaining here for Christmas."

"If you're not here to escort the students, what are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"I…I came here to by some Christmas gifts." She decided telling the truth wouldn't be so bad. 

"Presents for who Professor?" Neville asked, he had gotten out of the hospital wing only a week before.

"Well, I can't tell you that, you'll have to wait until Christmas comes around." She winked at them but realized that Harry still hadn't spoken to her, it seemed as though he was having a hard time forgiving her.

"Well, were off to Zonko's, see you later Professor." Ron said and started walking away when he noticed that none of his friends were following. 

"Professor?"

"Yes Harry?"

"I…I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you before, I didn't mean what I said—"

"Of course you meant what you said, or you wouldn't have said it. But it's alright Harry, your words were justified therefore there is no apology necessary. You were sticking by your friend and I respect that."

"If you're sure Professor…"

"Of course now run along, young Mr. Weasley is waiting for you." Harry walked away and joined Ron as they walk down to the joke store but she noticed that Hermione and Neville were still standing in front of her.

"Umm, Professor?"

"Yes?"

"May we shop with you?"

She thought about that for a moment, why would they want to shop with her?

"What is it that you need?"

"Nothing really, we just don't feel like going to the joke store."

"I suppose you can." She didn't have to say who she was shopping for right? So that couldn't be a problem.

"I'm surprised at you Neville, why don't you want to shop with Harry or Ronald?" She asked him and continued walking along the streets still in search for the perfect present.

"Neville, isn't like other boys, he doesn't enjoy things like that." Hermione piped up. 

"Well then I'm sure you will have very many girls chasing after you." She could feel the boy blush and patted his shoulder lightly.

"Who are you shopping for Professor?" Hermione asked her as she stopped in front of a shop and studied what was behind the glass with her wand.

"Hmmm… How about we get something to eat first." She said trying to avoid the subject, she didn't want to lie to them but she didn't think Severus would be impressed if she told them. She knew she could trust the pair seeing as Neville probably already suspected it, but Hermione…she needed to know whether the girl would tell her two best friends or not…no offense to them she just didn't believe they could keep a secret as well. 

"Sounds good to me, are you paying Professor?"

"What was that? A joke? Coming from Mr. Longbottom? I don't believe it." The boy smiled slightly and she pushed the two children along until they reached a small eatery.

Once they arrived in the shop they took off their travelling cloaks, set them against the wall and sat down in a booth near the back of the restaurant.

They chatted a while about their Defence classes as well as Neville's private ones. He had only told the trio that he was taking them so it came to no surprise to Hermione when they began discussing it. 

"How many new spells have you learnt Neville?" Hermione asked him.

"A couple new ones, I'm not that much more advanced than the rest of the class."

"That's only because you got out of the hospital wing last week. I bet you'll learn loads more than us in only a couple more weeks." Hermione said tapping his hand lightly.

"She's right Neville; I have quite a few plans for you." Claire said sipping some of her butterbeer.

Their food arrived shortly and they ate in silence, but after a while she could tell Hermione still hadn't given up questioning her about the mysterious person she was trying to find a present for. 

"So Professor, are you buying for a teacher, a student or someone else?" 

"Hmm…"

"Oh come on Professor! Answer the question please?" Hermione asked setting her cup back on the table.

"I'll make you two a deal ok?" Both of them set their food down and gave her their complete attention.

"I admit I'm having trouble finding the perfect present…for my special someone. I think you two may be able to help me but I must insist that you keep it a secret." The two students nodded their heads quickly.

"What's the catch?" Asked Hermione.

"You are very perceptive Miss Granger." She felt heat rise to the young girl's cheeks as she answered.

"You can call me Hermione."

Ok Hermione, Neville. I will give you two hints and you must guess right on your first try, then you may come with me to find a gift for my special someone. Agreed?"

"Agreed." They both said at the same time. 

"Your first hint, probably won't be very much help but the second will be a little more specific, any questions?"

"Do we each get to answer?"

"Yes."

"Say, if I get it wrong on my first try and Neville gets it right, do I still get to come or is only Neville allowed?" Hermione asked, leaning her head on the palm of her hand. 

"You are both considered as one team, therefore if you get it wrong and Neville gets it right you are both still allowed to come. Ok?"

"Ok." They both said again.

"Alright your first hint: He is a boy."

"That didn't help very much Professor." Neville pointed out.

"I warned you the first hint would be of no help to you." She could tell the boy rolled his eyes but she continued ignoring him.

"The second hint…Hmmm…He's very intelligent, I suppose you both know that my score is still the highest record the school has?" They both nodded their heads. "Well, he is a close second; he used to be first before I came to school."

"Oh I know this! Oh no, I can't remember it's in one of my books!" Hermione said racking her brains.

"Sorry Hermione, you have to guess now, you don't have time to fetch your book."

"That's alright I know who it is anyway." The girl said confidently.

Both Neville and Claire looked at her with surprise, how did she know?

"It's quite simply actually so I'll let Neville guess first."

"No it's ok Hermione I'd rather not, I really have no idea."

There was no way Hermione knew who it was, Claire felt pretty confident and simply looked at Hermione with a smug smile.

"Go on Hermione; give it your best shot."

"That's an easy one; it's a present for Professor Snape."

Claire didn't move, she stayed stock still and then she started to laugh, who knew the girl was so observant?

Hermione simply looked at her in complete confusion…was it possible she had said the wrong answer?

"Very well done Hermione…you truly are the brightest witch of your age, how did you know?"

Neville still wasn't talking; he was still gaping at her. She thought Neville would have figured it out by now but apparently she was wrong. 

"Well, the other day I read a book on body language, Professor Snape's body language towards you says it all." The girl winked at her and Claire laughed again.

"Brilliantly played Hermione! Wonderful, so, any ideas for me?"

"Wait, you're going out with Professor Snape?" The boy said in horror.

"Shh." Both girls said at the same time.

"Sorry." He murmured and stuffed his face back into his drink.

"So what's he like really?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure he would like me very much if I told you…"

"Oh please Professor? I won't tell anyone I swear!"

"Hmm, just between girls…" She glanced in Neville's direction and smiled at him.

"And Neville." Hermione added, smiling at the boy still drinking his butterbeer and trying to digest what he was hearing.

"Well, I won't say much because it's really not my place to tell, but I will say that he is very old fashioned…quite the gentleman."

"Wow, really? Professor Snape?" The girl was beaming at her; she smiled and felt her face heat up. Neville looked at her in complete bewilderment.

"Gentleman?" He squeaked, the boy definitely wasn't coming to terms with it.

"I told you he wasn't all that scary all the time, Neville. You just have to look past appearances that's all, right Professor?"

"You're absolutely right, I think that if I give him a little more time to get used to liking someone…he might come out and be comfortable with it in public…just maybe. But then you'll see Neville, he isn't as brutal as he appears." Neville didn't seem convinced but she let it drop.

"So what do you think I should get him?"

They spent the next few minutes discussing possible presents to get their potions master. Hermione started off suggesting things such as rare plants or potions ingredients. Claire thought those seemed a little too typical and wanted something unusual that he would like. After a couple of moments Neville started to participate and suggest other types of things such as magic quills and was even bold enough to suggest chocolate. Suddenly Hermione's head shot up and she smiled.

"I have the perfect idea!"

"What?" Both Neville and Claire asked at the same time.

"Does Professor Snape have a familiar?" 

"I don't think so."

"So he doesn't already have a bird or anything?"

"Not that I know of…"

"Perfect."

Hermione bounced up and ran over to Claire, pulling her hand.

"Follow me; I know exactly what to get him."

Claire lifted herself off her seat and paid for their meal, she followed Hermione out onto the street until the girl came to a stop in front of a store she had never gone in before. Neville trailed behind them uncertainly…it was obvious he wasn't comfortable looking for a present for his most feared Professor.

As soon as Claire walked into the store she covered her ears quickly, there were screeches, howls and screams from all kinds of different animals. She continued along with Hermione pulling her hand until they reached the very back of the store.

"Hermione, where are we going?"

"You'll see, oh I just think this is perfect! He'll love it…he does…love things doesn't he?"

"He hasn't said he's loved anything…actually I've never heard the word from his lips but I'm pretty sure he does."

"Good, then this'll be perfect."

Hermione let go of her sleeve and Claire heard her talking to a clerk somewhere nearby. Claire walked along the isles and felt the glass where the animals were residing. The glass was cool and she shivered, she didn't like knowing animals were in cages or otherwise held 'captive.' Suddenly someone gripped her hand and pulled her towards the other side of the store.

"They have what I was looking for Professor!"

"Where's Neville?"

"I think he's looking at the kittens." 

"Ok." Hermione pulled her until she heard the low voice of the clerk. Claire listened carefully but didn't hear anything. Suddenly she felt a tickling against her arm and something heavy wrap itself around it. Suddenly a hissing sound was heard quite loudly and Claire jumped at the unexpected sound.

"She's a boa constrictor, she's only about two feet long now but she'll grow to be about nine to ten feet." The low voiced clerk informed them. 

"Oh wow." Claire breathed as the snake wound herself up her arm.

"She's meant to be a familiar but this one seems to be very picky…no one's been able to claim her so far because she seems to be waiting for someone special…she seems to like you, Miss..?"

"This is Professor Laurel." Hermione piped up. "So what do you think Professor? He'll love her won't he?"

"I certainly think he will." Something tickled her face and she put her finger in front of the snake so it could 'smell' her finger instead of her face. She smiled, maybe having a snake wouldn't be so bad…She seemed friendly enough…

"Is she poisonous?"

"No, she's very calm and likes people. Many have tried to take her home but brought her back because she simply would not take to them."

"You need a piece of Professor Snape so she can smell it, she'll decide whether she likes him or not from that." Hermione said. At that moment, Neville walked over to them and she could tell he had paled from seeing the snake in her hand.

"It's alright Neville, she's a good girl." She could tell Neville was feeling a little better because he cautiously approached the snake and held his fingers out to her. She flicked her tongue across him cautiously but seemed to be bored for she returned her attention to Claire. She flickered her tongue at Claire cautiously and continued to wind her way up her arm.

"Actually, I just happen to be wearing some of Professor Snape's robes, that's why I think she likes me."

"Why are you wearing his robes? I didn't think he wore blue and brown." Hermione said.

"I transfigured them myself; they of course didn't look like this when I got them." Claire waved her wand over her sleeves and found a hair caught around a button.

"Hermione is this a black hair or a brown one?"

"Black."

"Good, then it's his, maybe we can tell if she likes him if she smells this?"

"That's a good idea Miss." The clerk said and took the hair from her. He put the hair in front of the snakes mouth and it flickered its tongue over and around the hair. The clerk slowly pulled it away from her but she bent her head and followed the hair as it got farther and farther away from her.

"I think she likes it." Claire sighed in relief. 

"I know how we can find out." Neville spoke up.

"How's that?"

"Harry." Claire had heard that Harry spoke parseltongue and brightened at the idea.

"Alright go and get him please Neville."

After five minutes or so Neville returned with Harry and Ron in tow. 

"Hello Harry, I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Sure thing Professor, whatever you need." 

"I need you to ask her," She pointed at the snake slithering up her arm, "If she likes the scent of the hair we put in front of her."

Suddenly a fluent hissing noise slid through Harry's mouth.

"_Hello, what'ss your name?"_

"_You sspeak?"_

"_Yess."_

"_I haven't met a human who sspeakss to me."_

"_What iss your name?"_

"_I don't have one."_ The snake hissed back at him.

"_I wass wondering whether or not you like the scent of the persson who'ss holding you?"_

"_I like the sssmell of her fabric but the human herssself sssmellsss funny."_

"_Would you bind yourself to the person who has that scent?"_

"_Yess, it iss quite interessting actually."_

"She said she likes the smell of your robes but not _your_ scent Professor, sorry. But she will bind herself to the person who smells like your robes."

"That's quite alright Harry, that's all I needed to know, thank you." Both Harry and Ron ran from the store quickly in hopes that they would find somewhere else to go before they had to return to the castle. 

"I think we've found our familiar." Claire said smiling.

\\\\

Claire hid the Boa in her rooms, it was odd when she talked to the snake it seemed she could understand her but when she hissed back that's when Claire got lost. She had told the snake every detail about Severus, she really hoped he liked her gift, the snake would nod every once in a while so she explained to her that she would have to stay in her rooms until the next day. She was petting the snake on the head, her scales were rough but they had a polished quality to them that Claire enjoyed immensely. She had asked Hermione what color the snake was and she had told her she was a mix of three different greens with small scales of black scattered everywhere. Apparently she was a very beautiful snake…not that Claire would ever know.

She was petting the snake's scales when a knock came at the door. She hurriedly put her back in her closet and whispered for her to stay there and be quiet. She tickled the snake under her chin before shutting the door. 

"Yes?" She inquired when she opened her quarter's door.

"Forgive me for interrupting but I believe I have a date tonight?"

"Oh really? And who is this incredibly lucky witch?"

"That depends if the beautiful lady in front of me is the one who accepted my invitation."

"Nope, sorry wrong quarters." She meant to close the door in his face but he clapped his hand on the on it and held it open. She felt a cold hand touch her face and he leaned in and kissed her sweetly.

"Forgive me; I believe I have found myself at the wrong location." With that he turned around swiftly and started walking away.

"Severus." She whined, she didn't want to play games anymore she wanted to go out!

He turned around and headed back towards her.

"Yes?" he said quietly in her ear. He brushed the hair from around her ear and tucked it out of his way. He leaned his lips right behind her ear and trailed a few slow kisses down her neck.

"Mmm, I thought you were taking me out to dinner?" She said quietly.

"And I thought I was at the wrong quarters…"

"Well it seems I was mistaken…I believe you have found yourself at the right location" He grabbed her hand gently and kissed her softly on the lips. The small contact left her shivering and wanting more but he leaned away from her.

"Dinner is getting cold." He chuckled when she tried to kiss him back.

"That's ok…" She tried to kiss him again but he but his fingers up to her lips to stop her.

"That's insulting…I made it myself." He said quietly.

"Really?" she asked him seriously.

"Yes." He whispered into her ear and pulled her into a hug.

"That's so sweet of you Severus." She smiled against his shoulder.

He growled and she laughed.

"I know, I know…you're not _sweet_."

"Or?"

"Or nice, or generous, or thoughtful and your definitely not a gentleman…I know." She smiled and brushed his ear with her lips.

"It's ok I'll keep your secret."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her gently along the rows of empty desks. Her heart swelled knowing he was so eager to show her what he had made for her himself.

They finally reached his quarters and she smiled when she waved her wand over everything on the table. It was set for two, he had candles on the table and he had indeed cooked everything himself, it smelt delicious. She turned around and kissed him full on the lips. He inhaled sharply and stumbled backwards from the unexpected attack.

"It's beautiful, thank you Severus, who knew you would set up candles for me?"

He kissed her back gently and whispered against her lips.

"You weren't supposed to know that, can you at least act like a normal blind woman?" 

"But then I wouldn't know all the sweet things you do for me."

"Exactly." He growled against her ear. She smiled and sat herself down at the table.

They started their meal in silence, Claire couldn't speak…the food was delicious! She wondered where he had learnt to cook so well… it really was extraordinary! He had made her chicken, vegetables, mash potatoes that were her new favourite (they were even better than the ones the house elves made!) and a small salad. 

"This is delicious Severus, where did you learn to cook so well?" She asked him in between bites.

"My mother used to cook for my father and I was expected to…help." She could tell there was much more to that story but let it pass, it was Christmas Eve and she wanted it to be perfect. She continued eating until her plate was clean, "That was truly wonderful Severus, you should cook for me more often!" She joked, she picked herself up off the chair and walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. She felt his mouth twitch up into a smile and kissed his lips.

"I love it when you smile you should do it more often." She whispered to him.

"That's because you can't see my teeth."

"What's wrong with your teeth?"

"They're crooked." He said quietly, she could tell he didn't like admitting his flaws.

"Let me see."

"I would rather you didn't put your hands in my mouth, thank you." He scowled.

"Fine, But if you open your mouth when you're sleeping then I'll be checking."

"I suggest you don't if you still want your fingers." She sighed and kissed him again.

"We're going out so you might want to put something warm on." He said to her as she went to sit back down.

"Oh? Where are we going?"

"No where special, but it's cold outside."

"Anywhere you take me is special." She said quietly, she could tell he was just looking at her without saying a word…had she offended him? She felt a small pang in her heart when he didn't say anything…She wished he would believe her when she told him how special he was, how much he meant to her. He never said these things to her, but she gave him a break… she supposed it was just hard for him to open up after all these years of being alone… 

\\\\ 

Had he heard that right? He could feel his cheeks heating up but he pushed it back down, there was no way he was going to blush because of a silly comment, she probably didn't mean it anyway…not really. He watched her as she sipped at her wine and looked somewhat hurt…why did she look like that?

"Claire?"

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Claire, I know when something is bothering you…"

"It's nothing alright!" She snapped at him. He didn't say a word and she sighed.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap… Can we go now?"

"As you wish." He said slowly, he wanted to find out what was bothering her but let it drop for now.

He went around the table and held her close.

"I'm sorry." He said 

"For what?" He didn't answer right away.

"Severus…it's nothing really, I'm sorry I snapped at you…can we just enjoy the evening?" 

"Of course." He said and draped a large warm cloak over her shoulders. He carefully tucked a scarf around her neck and transformed her shoes into boots. He didn't know it but she was enjoying the attention he was giving her. He was still very hesitant when it came to their affection but she was working on him. 

Once they were ready they walked out onto the grounds and she shivered as they walked into the freezing air. He quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rubbed them slightly to warm her up. She realized they were headed for their tree and she smiled…he was always taking her there and she didn't mind one bit. But he didn't sit down or conjure a blanket, she turned to look at him but he simply turned away from her and summoned something. Severus turned back around with two pairs of skates in his hand, he flicked his wand at his boots and they were magically replaced with one of the pairs of skates in his hand. By the look on Claire's face he could tell she had no idea what he was doing. He smirked at her and flicked his wand at her boots as well. As soon as the skates were in place she wobbled were she stood and he quickly walked forward so she could grab onto his shoulder.

"Severus, what are you doing?" She asked with a higher pitch to her voice than usual, he could tell she still hadn't figured it out.

"We are going ice skating my dear."

"I can't skate!" She said fearfully but he grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'll show you then." He looked into her face and saw blue eyes gazing up at him with complete trust; he felt his heart contract and an overwhelming feeling rushed into his chest rendering him speechless. He cleared his throat and put one foot on the frozen lake. It was very thick just as he had suspected, he slowly pulled Claire onto the ice and she gripped his shirt tightly. He chuckled deeply into her ear and he watched as visible tremors racked her whole body.

"Is that from the cold or from fear of skating?"

"Neither." She breathed into his ear as she put her other foot on the ice. Just as he had suspected she wobbled and fell. He quickly grasped her around the waist and pulled her up while she breathed heavily, still too terrified to speak.

"You have to stand straight, don't move just yet." He whispered in her ear. She stopped trying to move her feet and stayed still awaiting further instructions. Once she was standing straight he pulled his arms away from her middle and grabbed her arms, he lifted them so they were strait and pointing outwards at her sides. She was standing with her arms out and her feet together in a cross stance. He grabbed the back of her hands and placed his chin on her shoulder.

"Move one foot forward slowly, let it glide don't try and take a step." He whispered to her. She moved her foot forward and didn't fall, he watched as a smile crossed her face. He kissed her cheek and continued.

"Well, done. Now the other one." He watched as she slide her other foot forwards and didn't fall once again.

"Good now try and skate."

"But I can't—"

"Just try. I'm right behind you." She moved one foot at a time and eventually she started gliding along in front of him, his hands on her waist.

"I'm going to let you go now; I think you can do it."

"No Severus, don't—"It was too late, he had let go and she was skating fine on her own. She started to scream but it turned into a laugh as she realized that it really wasn't that complicated. She started to skate wobbly around the lake and she heard Severus not too far off behind her. She turned on her heel but didn't expect the movement to be so sudden she started to fall and landed on her butt.

"Ow." She breathed rubbing the bruised area.

"Sorry, love, didn't see that one coming." He watched as her face went from a pout to a smile bigger than he had ever seen…had he said something? Her eyes were darting back and forth as she searched blindly for him. He bent down carefully and hulled her to her feet. He expected her to start skating again but instead she hugged him tight and kissed him on the cheek. 

"What was that for?" He asked her.

"For being a sweetheart." She said but skated away faster then he thought she was capable of. He wanted to yell after her that he wasn't a sweetheart but just smiled at her instead…There was no point in spoiling her evening.

They skated around for an hour or two until Severus declared that he was tired. She skated back over to him and hugged him tightly. He held her waist and spun them in circles. She gripped him tightly, obviously afraid of falling again but he kept her close and whispered nonsense in her ear. Her grip slackened a little and she worked her feet to add to their speed. After a while they slowed down and he leaned his head against hers.

"It's Christmas in thirty seconds." He said quietly to her. She looked up at him and he gazed deep into her dark blue eyes. Suddenly a movement caught his eye and he noticed that the branches from the willow tree above them were growing slightly… He watched in amazement as the tip of the branch only about a foot above their heads started to grow three small leaves and tiny white berry's.

"Three." She breathed at him.

"Two." He whispered back, their lips only centimetres away

"One." They said together.

"Mistletoe" He breathed just above a whisper and then their lips connected. It was thrilling; his heart was beating faster than it should have as he responded quickly to her warm lips. 

She was in heaven; his lips were cold but incredibly soft. He was definitely more active when they kissed and he was incredible. Shock after shock wave washed over her body as they continued to move their lips over each other and then he did the one thing she thought he would never do. His tongue traced the outside of her bottom lip asking for entrance she opened her mouth just the slightest bit and he slipped it inside. She had always thought that kissing with tongue was disgusting…until that moment. Her world exploded and she weaved her tongue around his gently. He reached his hands up and entwined them in her hair, pulling her closer to him. She inhaled sharply through her nose and kissed him back roughly. After several more moments of complete bliss they broke apart breathing heavily.

He leaned his chin on the top of her head and kissed her hair gently.

"Happy Christmas, love." He breathed next to her ear and held her tight. 

A/N- Hey guys! This chapter took me all day to wright so I hope you enjoyed it! I want to thank LetsTwistAnotherFairyTale, debjunk and His Half Blood Princess for reviewing and sticking with me for the past I don't even know how many chapters lol anyway, thanks a whole lot guys it means so much to me!


	26. Satina

Chapter 26

Claire's boots crunched lightly in the snow as she and Severus walked back inside the castle. She had swung her hand slowly hitting his on purpose. After her second attempt he grasped her fingers gently and held her hand. They opened the giant oak doors at the front of the school and walked inside quietly so they didn't alert the entire castle to their absence. 

"My quarters or yours?" She asked him quietly.

"Whatever you prefer." He whispered back. She seemed to be in deep thought before she squeezed his hand lightly and leaned into him.

"Yours, I think." She said smiling at him.

"To the bats lair it is." He said with a smirk.

They walked down the hallway and finally reached the doors to his quarters. Like usual he whispered his password and she tried not to listen, they were his private quarters after all. As soon as they opened the door Severus dropped her hand and stopped moving completely. She put her hand on his arm and shook it lightly.

"Severus, what's up?"

"Albus." He growled and shut the door with a loud thud behind them. She smiled and walked cautiously into the room. With the help of her wand she walked to the middle of the living room and held out her hand. Her fingers immediately hit something sharp and she pulled them back quickly. A small droplet of blood trickled down her hand and she whipped it away. Severus was at her side in a second and took her hand in his. She sighed when he moved it around cautiously.

"It's just a prick Severus." She said.

"You shouldn't touch things unless you know what they are." He said defensively and let her hand drop. She rolled her eyes at him but lifted her arm out again, more cautiously that time and touched pointy leaves and fluffy garland, not to mention small round balls.

"He gave you a Christmas tree!" She squealed in excitement.

"Unfortunately so." He hissed and turned back to his couch.

"Oh come on Severus, don't be a spoil sport!"

"Me? A spoil sport? Absolutely not." He said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at him but sat down on the couch next to him anyway.

"Presents now or later?"

"How'd you know there're presents under the tree?"

"I meant _your_ presents." He didn't answer so she assumed he just didn't want to make the decision. She leaned towards him and noticed that he had stiffened up; she tried her hardest and pictured his face hard as stone.

"Severus?" She said with a tinge of concern in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get me…presents." The word came off his tongue awkwardly as he tried to pronounce it without distaste.

"Because…I wanted to?" She said, had she done something wrong?

"Don't."

"It's too late Severus, I've already gotten them."

"Take them back."

"No!" She said with indignation. There was no way she was going to take his presents back. Besides she was pretty sure the snake was going to bind herself to him.

"Why don't you want any presents?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer." 

"And you're not going to get one." He growled at her. He looked over at her and _almost_ jumped. She was a few inches from his face with a fierce expression in her eyes. She grabbed his chin and kissed him lightly.

"Too bad." She said quietly.

"Claire…I can't accept them."

She simply raised an eyebrow at him and sat down in on his lap.

"Tell me Severus…." She said playing with his hair. "Did you get me a present?" She guessed he was taken aback from the question because he simply stared at her.

"Of course I did."

"Take it back."

"No."

"Then accept my present or I won't accept yours….deal?"

"No."

"Ok." She said and leaned back against him; she smiled into his robes and counted mentally. _Three, two, one._

"Fine." He snapped and she could tell that his morning Christmas wasn't going as well as he had planned. 

"Oh, stop sulking Severus."

"I'm not sulking."

"Obviously." She said rolling her eyes at him. He was still quite rigid so she lifted a hand and rubbed it against his neck tenderly.

"Let's go to bed Severus, you're obviously tired and cranky."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, you know you're being grumpy."

"You're not my mother."

"Good thing to, I'm sure she had her hands full."

She could tell he was about to reply so she put a finger up to his mouth. She stood up and grabbed his hand leading him into the bedroom. She flicked her wand at her robes and they turned into a nightgown. She felt him climb into the bed and she assumed he had already conjured his night ware. Just before she slipped into the bed beside him she realized that it was her first time in his bed. During the last couple of weeks whenever they slept in the same bed it was always hers…she always wondered why he enjoyed sleeping in her quarters rather than his. She slipped in the bed and fingered his blankets…they were silk. She bit her lip so she wouldn't smile…did the man have silk everywhere? 

She leaned over to him and realized he was lying with his arms up and crossed over under his head, propping it up. She leaned in and laid her head on his chest, throwing an arm over his side.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong?" He sighed deeply and her head lifted and fell with the rhythm of his breathing. 

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to know what's bothering you…maybe I can help?" 

He snorted. "I doubt that." 

She sighed against him and raised her head to look in his direction.

"Please?"

"It doesn't concern you."

"Why not?"

"It's personal."

"I share my bed with you and that's personal."

"That is hardly the same."

"So?" Severus wasn't used to someone caring so much why he didn't like certain things; it made him uncomfortable and defensive. When he didn't speak for a while Claire rubbed a circle in his chest encouragingly and hoped he would answer.

"I never enjoyed Christmas…I actually never really had one…a proper one that is."

"Why?" Claire asked quietly.

"Because my father didn't believe Christmas was for brats such as myself." He quoted his father's name for him with a bitter tone. He took a deep breath and continued. "Well, let's just say that my Christmas presents were normally accompanied by many tears…"

"I'm sorry." She said quietly against his chest.

"Think you can help me now?" He asked her sarcastically.

"Yup." 

"How's that?" He said raising an eyebrow at her. She lifted herself up and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Because I'm going to give you your first Christmas." She whispered in his ear. He didn't answer but moved his arms over her and squeezed her tightly in a hug. She could tell that that was his way of dealing with his emotions because she knew he had a hard time expression himself through words. She _knew_ he would love his pet, she wasn't expecting him to break down in tears over it or anything because she knew the day he cried was the day that hell froze over but she would try and get him close.

With that thought in her head her eyes closed and she fell asleep to the hypnotic rhythm of his heart.

\\\\

Severus' eyes fluttered and he looked down at the weight settled on his chest. He fingered a lose curl that had found its way around his finger and he marvelled at her soft hair. After several moments, she started to stir so he rubbed her back carefully, he had no idea how she did it but she made him feel…special. He snorted mentally at himself for that, he had to admit that he had become accustomed to her affections and that he actually enjoyed them but he still didn't feel comfortable showing it. He was grateful she had seemed to understand that and was being patient with him. He felt his chest warm at the thought of spending Christmas with someone…wait, no, not someone…with her. 

At that moment she started to stir and he touched her cheek gently. 

"Wake up, love" She stirred but didn't seem to want to get up.

"I'm awake…now go away"

"I don't think so, you're in my bed…and you've got some presents to open."

Her head snapped up and she beamed up at him, he wasn't sure how he could make her happy so easily. She leapt out of the bed and pulled his hand along until they were in his living room. He watched as she bent down on her knees in front of the Christmas tree and dug out presents…wait…why were there presents under the tree? 

"I've got one here to you from Albus!" She cried happily and walked back over to him and shoved the present under his nose." 

"How did you know that?" He asked her. She ignored him and continued looking through the presents under the tree. He looked down and sure enough the present was addressed to him from Albus. He opened it up and a black silk scarf tumbled out onto his palm.

Claire had bounced back over to him and touched the scarf. He watched as she started to laugh and rub it against her face.

"What?" He asked her.

"It's silk." She smiled.

"You don't like silk?"

"I have no problem with it Severus, and it's obvious you don't either." She said still smiling, well it seemed as though she had found out the one thing he really did enjoy…and yes it was silk.

Suddenly she shoved another present in his hand and waited until he opened it. Where were all these presents for him coming from? Everyone knew not to get him presents …he had told them on countless occasions. 

After several minutes of them opening presents, some for Claire and some for Severus, they sat down on the couch so they could give each other their gifts.

"You first or me first?" Claire asked.

"Same time?" Severus suggested.

"Ok hold on I need to summon mine because it's in my quarters." She flicked her wand and a small box came zooming into the room. She caught it gently and turned around, they traded gifts and she felt another box, the exact same size as the one she had given him in her hand.

She used her fingernails to tear off the wrapping paper and opened the lid on the top of the box. She heard Severus opening her present and then he started to laugh. She couldn't believe how loud it was too, it had been months since he had actually laughed. She quickly leaned closer to him and simply listened to his deep rich laughter as it swam through her head. She knew her bat pin was funny but she didn't expect a reaction like that from him. She let her fingers trace the contour of her present and then she picked it up and fingered it. Suddenly she started to laugh as well; she finally understood what had been so funny.

She traced the small raven pin; it was the exact same idea as the bat pin she had given him. The bird on her pin felt as if it had stones in the wings and on its beak, she lifted it to her hair and it automatically pulled all her loose strands away from her face and clasped them securely at the back of her head.

"Thank you!" She cried and flung herself around his neck. He was still chuckling quietly and hugged her back with one arm.

"The bat is a very nice touch!" He said and his chest rumbled a little more. She picked it out of his hand and put it in his hair, she felt the air fly past her hand as all the strands of loose hair flew beneath the bats wings and it locked them into place.

"Wonderful." He said and held her tight. He kissed her forehead and took a look at the bird in her hair; he really hadn't expected her to get the same thing for him as he got for her. He smiled again at the thought and watched as the lights sparkled of the dark blue sapphires in the wings and beak.

"I have another one, so don't go far."

"Where would I go? These are _my_ quarters." He said to her, hugging her tighter.

"Actually I think it would be better if we went to my quarters for the last present ok?" She asked him, she felt him roll his eyes but simply played with a lock of his hair instead.

"Severus?"

"I suppose, but I have one last gift for you as well so I'll bring it up how's that?"

"Ok." She slid off of him and pulled him until they reached the doors, he stooped and she tried to pull him farther but he wouldn't budge.

"I'm wearing my night ware Claire."

"So?"

"So I would rather the students not see them."

"Stop worrying about what students will think of your fashion sense and come with me! They'll all be occupied with presents anyway!"

She pulled him again but he was simply too large for her small body. She sighed and looked back at him.

"Severus, please? I don't want to wait." He took a large breath and exhaled loudly. 

"Fine." He allowed her to pull him out of the dungeons and onto the main floor. He quickly conjured a long black cloak and used his bat clip to tie it around his night ware. The pin took the pieces of fabric from either side and locked them into place under its wings. He looked down at it admiringly before being pulled into Claire's quarters.

"I want you to go sit on the floor in the living room and I'll be right back ok?"

"Why do I have to sit on the floor?"

"Ok, I know your ass is precious and the floor is undeserving of its presence but I would like you to grace it with your superior arse so I can give you my present." She expected him to get royally pissed at her but she only felt vibes of amusement from him and a smirk firmly in place. _Probably because he believes it._ She thought and almost laughed out loud. As soon as she was sure he was sitting on floor in her living room, she quickly walked into her bedroom and opened the closet door. She reached out a hand and smoothed her hand over the snakes head. She bent down and whispered to her.

"Your Master is sitting in the other room, I would like you to slide up to him, don't make a sound I want him to be surprised ok?" She felt the sake bob her head and slither quietly without hissing into the next room.

"Severus?"

"Yes?" She heard from the other room.

"Close your eyes, and don't cheat… I _will_ know if you do."

"Yes, royal pain in my arse."

"Wow, what have I done to deserve such an honour?" She said sarcastically and followed the snake quietly into the living area. She waved her wand and realized that he did indeed have his eyes shut. She smiled and motioned the snake along. She sat down next to him on the floor and waited for the snake to make her way over to him. She felt the snake rear up so it was face to face with Severus, only inches from his nose.

"Open your eyes." She whispered.

\\\\

Severus opened his eyes and the first thing he saw were two slanted black eyes staring at him. He almost jumped but kept his composure, instead he remained stock still, was the snake poisonous? Was this some sort of joke? The snake flickered its tongue at him until it touches his nose.

"Go on, touch her." Claire whispered to him. 

He reached out a cautious hand and touched the snakes head. A jolt ran through his body and for a split second he swore he was looking out of the snake's eyes at himself. But then his eyes refocused on the snake before him.

"_Hello master._" A cool female voice whispered in his head. Severus rubbed his temples in surprise and answered out loud.

"Ah, hello?"

"She's your familiar now Severus, you have to talk to her with your mind."

"_You're my familiar?"_

"_Weren't you listening to the female human?"_

"_Of course I was."_

"_Then why did you ask me such a foolish question?"_

"_I apologize for not reaching your reptilian intellect."_

"_Glad we agree on something."_

"Do you like her?" Claire asked after witnessing the two having a silent conversation.

"I believe we will get along quite well." Severus answered with a genuine smile. He leaned over and kissed her with a little more fever then usual and squeezed her tight to him.

"She is possibly the best gift I have ever received…thank you." He whispered in her ear and turned back to his familiar.

"_Do you have a name?"_

"_That is up for you to decide, master."_

"_You can call me Severus."_

"_Severus it is." _

"Any idea what to call her?" He asked Claire. He lifted a hand and stroked the snakes head, she had a polished finish to her that he absolutely adored not to mention the different shades of green and the little bit of black the snake possessed. They suited her quite well. 

"How about…Eva?"

"_Tell your female human that if she dares call me that my fangs won't seem so harmless."_

"She doesn't like it." He answered in short. He continued to run his fingers over her scales and then down on the bottom of her chin.

"How about Sheila?" He suggested to her but said it out loud so Claire could hear him as well.

"_Sheila was my mother's name, I would rather not inherit it please."_

"_Would it not be nice to be named after your mother?"_

"_My mother tried to eat me."_

"_I see."_

"Nope, not Sheila then…" He said aloud. He looked over at Claire and she seemed to be deep in thought and then she started to laugh.

"I have the perfect one." She declared after a while.

"Don't deny it, I know you love silk do you not?"

"…Yes"

"Well, how about Satina?"

Severus mulled the name over in his head, she did feel like satin. 

"_How about it?"_

"_Satina…I like it."_

"_So the female human will no longer feel your wrath?" _

"_I suppose not."_ The cool female voice said sounding only slightly disappointed.

"_Her name is Claire by the way."_

"I have one last present to give you also." Severus said looking over at Claire who had been feeling the air around her, probably trying to get a hint of the conversation form their body language.

He brought up his wand and summoned a small box, only a little smaller than the one he had given to her before. He handed her the gift and watched as she opened it. She pulled out a necklace and started fingering it immediately. 

\\\

Claire fingered the necklace and smoothed a finger over its surface, the charm was just a normal circle but engraved in it was a sun and a moon. Suddenly the circle broke in two and she dropped it onto her lap.

"Oh my gosh Severus I broke it I'm so sorry I—"

He put a finger to her mouth to stop the flow of words. He picked up the necklace and handed her half of the charm. She fingered it again and realized it was the half with the sun on it. She lifted her head up and realized he had put the other half with the moon around his neck. She put her half around her neck and suddenly realized there was writing on the back; with a discreet wave of her wand she turned it into brail.

'_The sun that brightened up my darkest night.' _She read and her breath caught in her throat, had he actually written that? No, he couldn't have it was so sweet, so kind and so…Severus, she realized. This was the part of him no one knew, this was the part she had been trying to find…and what a prize it was. 

She got up from her spot on floor and kissed him firmly. "Thank you." She whispered to him and promised herself she wouldn't cry…he would probably take it back, the ass hole.

"You don't even know what it does yet." He said to her. When she didn't say anything he continued.

"This is a special charm, _in case of emergency_, you will be able to contact me and we will be able to communicate through them."

"How do I activate it?" She sensed him shift positions and wondered why he seemed so embarrassed all of a sudden.

"You have to repeat what's inscribed on the back." He finished in a rush. It was obvious he was feeling uncomfortable. She wanted to tell him how much it meant to her but she knew he wouldn't want to hear it…not yet anyway, she was still working on him.

"What does the back of yours say?"

"You don't need to know."

"Please?"

"No."

"Fine." She said and slipped into his arms, if he didn't want to tell her, she would simply find out on her own. She kissed him one last time and hugged him tightly.

"Happy Christmas Severus."

"Happy Christmas, love." 

A/N- Hey guys! I hope you all like Satina, she's one of my favorite characters lol anyway really hope to get some more reviews thanks again guys!


	27. Voldemorts Secret

* * *

Chapter 27

His red eyes glowed dimly in the torchlight. He listened carefully to the words flowing out of his servant's mouth; they seemed to tumble out awkwardly. Voldemort tapped his finger impatiently on the end of his chair and his snake hissed behind him. He blinked and watched the smallest drop of sweat escape his servant's hairline.

"So you see my Lord…He may be of no use to use anymore." Avery finished in a wavering voice.

"He is ressissting the imperiouss cursse and you ssee it fit to ssimply disposse of such talent? You have much to learn. There are other wayss of perssuassion such ass torture or other formss of it."

"Of course my Lord." Avery bowed down until his nose touched the floor.

"And how are you planning on motivating our _guesst?_" He hissed at his servant.

"My Lord?" The man before him froze in place; it was obvious he hadn't expected the question.

"I will not repeat mysself, he iss sstill of ssome usse to me, now I wissh for you to create me ssomething pressentable."

"M-my Lord, I need time to think of something suitable to—"

"Ssilence!" He hissed at the man who flinched at his master's anger.

Voldemort gazed thoughtfully at his servant.

"Doess the man have any living relativess of any sort?"

"He had a wife my Lord."

"Did I not assk if the man had any _living_ relativess?" He snapped at him.

"Of course my Lord, please forgive my incomprehension."

"It wass not your incomprehenssion Avery; it wass your lack of intelligence. Now, doess he have any living relativess?"

"I believe he has a daughter my Lord."

"You believe or you know?"

"I know my Lord."

"_Don't_ lie to me." He snapped angrily at the man in front of him, Avery seemed as though he wanted to sink into the floor to avoid his master's poisonous gaze.

"My Lord I wouldn't lie to ---"

"Crucio!" The man before him twitched on the ground at his feet. He watched in satisfaction as his body arched and twisted in many different positions. The man didn't utter a word but his servants rarely did anymore, it was hardly entertaining. 

"Do not lie to me Avery, I do not wissh to dissposse of you."

"Yes my Lord." The man said in a shaky voice as he rose from the ground, his fingers still twitching.

"Now, what iss her name?"

"Forgive me my Lord but I have not acquired this information."

"I suggessted that you do." Voldemort said dangerously. His eyes gleamed a darker shade than normal as he watched his servants every move.

"Of course my Lord." He rose and turned as if to take a step in the other direction when he was hit with a spell and toppled over on the floor. For the briefest moment Avery wondered why the Dark Lord still used simple spells such as _petrificus totalus_ before fear fogged his brain. He was frozen and at the mercy of the Dark Lord.

"Did I ssay you could risse? Or leave my pressence for that matter?" The Dark Lords voice was low and deadly, it wouldn't be a surprise if he could suffocate his victim from simply talking to them, venom dripping from every word…

The silent form on the ground simply gazed at the floor not able to reply. 

It had been weeks and Voldemort was getting impatient, he had been trying to figure out exactly who his prisoner's daughter was. The wizard was getting much better at resisting the imperious curse that had been placed on him many, many years ago but Voldemort still had his uses for him. He had to admit that the man was a genius and didn't feel it was necessary to kill him…yet.

He had called his Death Eaters to him many times during the last month to see if they had found anything on the subject. Every time he called them they would have minimal information and he had punished them…the whole lot. He was most disappointed in Severus…The man seemed to be different somehow but irritatingly discreet about it and Voldemort had failed to find a valid reason for his change. He had thought that seeing as the man worked at Hogwarts he would have found out more regarding a family tree of some sort. 

He hadn't told any of his Death Eaters other than Avery that he still had the man captive. His Death Eaters had absolutely no idea what they were searching for but that was what he had intended to happen… He didn't want them knowing anything, he worked alone and although he enjoyed having his Death Eaters do his dirty work…he didn't trust them. After he had punished Avery a while back he had obliviated the idiot and sent him on his way. He had told his servants to do some research on the name Samuel Laurel but they had all come up empty, until one faithful afternoon…

"Bring it forward." He demanded and watched as Lucius brought up what appeared to be a large folder. 

"Luciuss, you have found thiss from the minisstry filess?"

"Yes my Lord."

"Excellent, you sshall be rewarded in due time. However, you sshall all be punisshed for the amount of time you have taken to provide me with what I need." He said fiercely, the whole gang seemed to stiffen at the same time and Lucius simply deepened his bow and replaced the mask upon his face.

"As you wish my Lord." He murmured, he had noticed that his servants didn't even bother begging for forgiveness, it was about time. When were they going to learn that Lord Voldemort did not give second chances, or forgiveness?

After several minutes of watching his servants squirm in agony, it started to bore him. He flicked through the file Lucius had brought him as his servants withered in pain before him, small gasps and cries were heard but he was more interested in the information before him. He read the file on one Miss Claire Elisa Laurel. He read through the file quickly and came upon some startling information, the girl was blind. Well then, she wouldn't be too hard to break then would she? It seemed she had lived in an orphanage her whole life…Well, he supposed that was due to them killing her mother and capturing her father…oh well. He shrugged it off but couldn't help but be reminded of his childhood…No; he wasn't going to go down that road…

He flipped a page and a picture fell out, it was the one taken for her apparition certificate…it had been renewed when she turned twenty five. He gazed at the picture in front of him and a slow, evil smile crept across his face. The girl he looked at had long dark curly hair; she had pink lips and rosy cheeks. Her eyes were the deepest blue he had ever seen and her complexion was so light and smooth it resembled a porcelain doll.

"Quite the beauty isn't she?" He whispered to himself and slipped the picture back inside the folder…unfortunately the only thing the files didn't reveal were her location at the current moment and her employment. Well, he was bound to find out eventually, for now he waved his wand at the folder and it vanished. He looked back at his men still withering on the ground and he lifted the curse.

"Have we learned our lessson?"

"Of course my Lord." They all murmured, some saying it later than others.

"Get out of my ssight." He hissed at them and watched as one by one they disapparated away.

Claire was sitting in her quarters biting her nails, Severus had gone to another Death Eater meeting…it was driving her mad. She was tempted to use her necklace but she knew he wouldn't appreciate it if nothing was wrong._ But what if something is wrong?_ Her mind asked her, she continued to finger the ornament at her neck until she heard someone at the door. She got up immediately and opened it, as soon as she did a dead weight fell in her arms and she carried Severus to the couch. She quickly did a normal check up of all his vital signs and he pushed her away feebly, like he always did. She huffed at him but continued to wave around diagnostic spells making sure that he wasn't in any mortal danger.

"Claire, I'm fine." He said weakly. "I just need to sleep it off." He said waving a hand casually at her when she tried to push his body farther up the couch so he could be more comfortable. He groaned when she pushed him up so she knew he was indeed hurting, he just didn't want to admit it. She hurriedly conjured a potion he had made especially for when he went to his Death Eater meetings. It quickly erased all the effects of the cruciatus and healed small wounds or bruises. She quickly opened his mouth and poured it in, fearing he wouldn't take it. But she didn't have to worry, it seemed as though he was too weak and too tired to resist her. She put her hand gently on his cheek as his eyelids closed and he fell asleep. 

It was hard watching over him, but she was happier now then she had ever been. She had made him promise that directly after each meeting he would report directly to her rooms so she could look after him, at first he refused until she mentioned that it was either her or Poppy. He agreed quickly after he heard the second option. His Death Eater meetings were more often now than they ever had been, this worried her immensely because he would return more often beaten and bleeding. She assumed he wasn't doing something right because Voldemort obviously wasn't happy with him. 

For the longest time he wouldn't tell her what was happening at his meetings, he had gotten defensive and he would snap at her but she understood, it was probably very stressing what he was doing, she would never forgive Albus for recommending such a horrible way of redeeming himself. She felt sick to her stomach whenever he left and she would worry until she had a headache or cry until she knew he was safe. She had been trying to get out of him what it was exactly Voldemort was making him do but he wouldn't tell her. 

She knew Severus had nightmares but he had always woken up not making a sound, she had actually forgotten all about them until near the beginning of January. As soon as Voldemort had started calling them back over and over again within only a couple of days, he had started making small sounds in his sleep. He would wake her up so she would simply lay in his arms listening to the terror he was unwillingly sharing with her. After a couple more days his small murmurs and grunts turned into full fledged screaming in the middle of the night. 

Every time she asked him if he wanted to talk about it he would snap at her, turn around and fall back asleep. Lately she had gotten him to calm down when he was having a nightmare and he would vaguely tell her what they were about… or he would lie and say something completely off subject. She knew he was lying but what was she supposed to do? Severus was one of those people you had to work on for a long time before they opened up even a little bit.

She had finally started getting him to reveal a little more of the terror he was experiencing and she was shocked when, half asleep, he would murmur his dreams to her. She would always hug him as tight as she could until he fell asleep. At first he had told her vague things about what he had done in his past, that those certain things haunted him every night. But this was different….a couple of weeks ago, near the end of January, she had lifted her hand to his face one evening to comfort him when he had woken up from screaming and she had felt moisture on his left cheek. He had shed a tear when he was sleeping… He had never cried before. Something had definitely been up; she knew his nightmares were getting worse but they were different from all his other ones, she had been sure of it.

She had finally gotten him to talk to her the last week. He had almost been in hysterics when he got back from his meetings, he seemed worried, upset and scared all at the same time and he wouldn't talk to her. They had had a small fight which finally led to him admitting what had been going on at his meetings.

She had learnt that they the Death Eaters were looking for her. Voldemort had ordered them all to find information on her, she had asked Severus why they were interested in her of all people but he hadn't a clue. There was something about how raw he had sounded that led her to believe that he really did have no idea why they wanted her and that he wasn't trying to hide it from her. That night he had promised her that he would protect her with his life… She had offered to present herself to them if it meant that Severus would stop being tortured but Severus had glued her to a chair until she took an oath that she wouldn't willingly present herself to them to save his ass. She didn't know what to do for him anymore, no one knew why Voldemort was interested in her so they couldn't prepare themselves in anyway. 

Severus had made her promise to be constantly alert so she wouldn't get into trouble, she had agreed but made a silent vow to herself that if he was going to get punished for her then she would die for him. She wouldn't tell him this of course because he would probably bind her to her bed for the next…year? 

Claire stroked his hair gently as he lay on the couch sleeping. She felt something heavy slither over her lap and settle itself on Severus' chest.

"You'll watch over him won't you?" Claire whispered to Satina, stroking her scales, she gave a nod and settled her small head on her coiled body. She smiled and flicked her wand at the couch; it transfigured itself into a bed so she snuggled in beside him. He was breathing normally so she relaxed and allowed herself to fall into a worried sleep.

Classes with Neville were going very well, the seventh year Slytherins had been appointed the entire years worth of detention, three nights a week with Filch and the Slytherin house points had been drained due also to their extremely foolish stunt when they attempted to break Neville. Severus had had a good long lecture with the four Slytherin boys about being disrespectful and shamming their house. She didn't think she had ever heard him sound scarier. Even she was afraid to approach him after he had had his speech with the boys. 

"Professor?" Neville asked. The boy was standing in front of her desk after his lesson.

"We'll start in a few moments Neville; I just need to finish some paper work."

She felt the boy turn around and head back to his desk even though the students had already left. Claries mind was in term oil, she and Severus had been doing extensive research on her family tree hoping to find some sort of significance to why the Voldemort wanted her. She had put up a strong front with Severus but inside she had to admit she was very nervous, her stomach would twist at the oddest moments when she thought about the Snake Face (as she had heard many students refer to him as). It seemed like Severus had noticed because he would randomly place his fingers over hers during a feast, the only other option was that he was more comfortable displaying his affection and she _highly _doubted that. 

"Alright Neville stand up." The boy stood and she immediately sent a hex his way, she felt the surge of power leave the tip of her wand and blast its way in Neville's direction. Neville turned on a dime and sent the hex rebounding her way. She quickly dissolved it in mid air but before she could react Neville had sent a spell of his own. She moved her wand just in time to cast a defensive charm but it was seconds behind. The force of the spell pushed her back several feet but the spell itself wasn't able to penetrate her defences. She looked up in time to notice three more spells headed her way. Instead of wasting energy thinking of spells she waited until the last possible moment and moved only three inches to the right, completely avoiding all three. She sent a couple of hexes his way, one after the other but there combined hexes and spells met in the middle and destroyed each other. This continued for over an hour until she blinded him. 

The boy was simply incredible with his reflexes now, but blinded he still needed some work. Her classes were still being blinded and doing much better than before, it was amazing how a couple months of practice improved their reflexes and changed their opinions when it came to things they took for granted every day. She could honestly say that they were doing exceptionally well, they were feeling what was around them with almost pure instinct, they learnt to trust each other and themselves to 

make the right decision. Neville was taking a little longer than the rest of the class to get used to missing a sense but that was expected seeing as he was just more careful when he learnt new things and it took him longer to adapt. That was alright with her, she had already told him she was willing to give him all the time he needed to continue his training with her, she was very proud of him…he had the highest mark in the class other than Hermione. 

"Alright Neville, try and feel it coming to you don't listen just feel it." She sent him a spell and he automatically turned around with his wand pointing in different directions every second. The spell hit him directly in the chest and he was pushed back until he fell on his butt. Claire held in a sigh and walked over to him carefully. She held out a hand and hauled the boy to his feet.

"Sorry Professor."

"No need to be sorry Neville, let's try again. You need to relax, feel the air around you and try and determine were the surge of magic is coming from, you'll end up pointing your wand in the right direction. I know you can do it."

Neville nodded his head and positioned himself in the right direction. Claire sent him a spell and the boy spun around like usual, he was panicking. Then suddenly at the last second Neville spun in the right direction and yelled out.

"Protego!" He cried and a shield charm blasted from the end of his wand and hit the hex straight on. Both spells dissipated after a second or two when Claire ran out full tilt and hugged Neville on the spot.

"You did it!" She cried happily. Neville smiled against her shoulder and she tapped him on the back. The boy started to laugh, it was obvious his confidence was going up a lot faster than Claire would have predicted. 

Severus was sitting in his office awaiting his next class…fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor again, he really didn't have time to deal with them at the moment. Satina had slithered up his arm and was currently resting her head on his shoulder. He had never brought her into class with him but Claire had always suggested that he did. But he didn't want to because he was sure it would cause a ruckus in his class and he needed all of their undivided attention. 

"_I want to see the human children today."_

"_Why? And the answer is no, you know that."_

"_I won't bite them…"_

"_I'm not concerned about that…They will be focusing on you instead of their lesson and they're all going to fail there OWL's if they find you more fascinating than their lessons."_

"_So I can bite them?"_

"_No."_

"_What if they misbehave?"_

"_Tempting but no."_

"Severus?" He looked up from his work and saw Claire with the door open.

"Yes?"

"You'll never guess!"

"No, I will never guess if it was your mind that concocted it."

"Very funny, Neville is getting better at Defence, he'll be the best Auror around if he decides to keep going down that road. I'm so proud of him!"

"Joy." He said unenthused.

"Severus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Of course not." She said rolling her eyes. He still had his nose in his books so she took the liberty of plopping herself down in his lap.

"Do you mind?" He growled at her.

"Nope." She said winking at him. He simply shrugged and leaned over her to continue doing his work. Claire turned to Satina and stroked her head softly.

"Severus I really think you should bring her to class with you, it would be nice for the school to get accustomed to her."

"I really don't think the students will take to her well."

"I know Harry would." She mumbled under her breath. Luckily he didn't seem to notice and the bell rang signalling the start of class. Claire lifted herself off of his lap and kissed him on the cheek before heading towards the door. 

"Do me a favour…" He said slowly rising from his work to attend to his class.

"Yes?" She inquired curiously.

"Can you walk out in a towering temper?"

"Why?...Oh, sure thing Severus." She rose an eyebrow at him and slammed the door violently behind her. She stalked out of the room angrily and attempted to make her cloak billow behind her as he normally did, it didn't work. She continued out of the class of students mumbling things such as. "Can't believe that man." Or "So rude, why does Albus keep him around?" She finally reached the end of the class and slammed that door shut as well. As soon as she was out of sight from students she smiled carefully, at first she didn't enjoy it when he always asked her to make it look like she hated the man the same as everyone else but after a while it started to get fun. She actually started enjoying her little 'scenes' as Severus liked to call them. 

Severus walked out of his office with Satina still on his arm; he had actually forgotten she was there. As soon as he was in sight the students gasped in horror…what? He was just the same as usual, he knew the students feared him but…seriously, that was a bit much. 

He waved his wand at the board and the instructions to brew a potion were on the board, he walked to his desk and sat down.

"There will be no talking, no noise and no disruptions in this class, is that understood?" He said in the deadliest voice possible. Many of his students nodded and others seemed to be too afraid to move.

"_My, my they do fear you don't they?"_ Severus almost groaned when he realized that Satina was still attached to him, well, there was no sense in bringing her back now, and they had already seen her.

"_Don't disturb them, Satina they need to concentrate."_ He said to her threateningly.

"_Whatever would make you think I would disturb them?" _She said sweetly to him and slithered down his arm until she had reached the desk. He watched as she slinked her way off his desk and started patrolling the isles in-between desks. He heard many people squeal at the sight of her, some even put their feet up on their chairs to avoid her.

And then suddenly he heard hissing that didn't belong to his snake.

"_You're Professsor Sssnape' Ssnake?" _Harry asked in shock.

"_Yess young human, isss there a problem?_" The snake hissed back at him.

"_Did he name you?"_

"_My name is Sssatina."_

"_Well then hello Ssatina, I'm Harry."_

"_Hello Harry, you are quite sstrange you know…"_

"_Oh? And why isss that?" _Harry asked

"_I'm not quite ssure, you sseem…important sssomehow…jusst like the female human…"_

"_Professsor Laurel?"_

"_Yesss, she isss quite interessting…"_

"Mr. Potter," Harry's head snapped up and he looked directly into the eyes of his most hated potions master. "Stop that infernal hissing at once."

"Your snake doesn't seem to mind." Harry said rather rudely.

"My snake has better judgment then to be talking to the likes of you, and ten points for talking back to a Professor." Snape said coolly, his black eyes hardened into pools of frozen ice. Harry glared at the man, and then opened his mouth at the wrong moment.

"It seems to me that you must have poisoned her mind because no creature with half a brain would bind itself to you."

"Detention Mister Potter, my office at eight. Do. Not. Be. Late." He said threateningly and stalked back over to his desk. Harry watched as his Professor took a seat at his desk and continued grading papers, he looked around and noticed many people were looking at him as if he were Voldemort himself, just as they had in second year. This was going to be a long day. 


	28. A Traitor

Chapter 28

It was the Valentine's ball the next day and Claire was trying to figure out how she was going to get Severus to go, let alone ask her to go. She had always hated Valentine's Day; she had thought it was a mockery of all singles. She still felt that way and was secretly glad she wasn't one anymore. Claire walked down the hallways and noticed many students were holding hands. As a teacher, she was supposed to break them apart but what was the use? If she told them to break apart and remain presentable in the hallways then they would simply do it again as soon as she left. She knew if it were her….she certainly would. Her wand indicated a couple near the back of the hallway snogging. She got closer and was about to interrupt because snogging wasn't as decent as holding hands when she got an awful sensation. She felt as if she was being watched… She whipped around but her wand indicated no one. Her stomach turned upside down and goose bumps rose on her arms… Someone was watching her, she knew it.

She cleared her throat as she walked by the couple as a warning but otherwise hurried off to her rooms. She had been getting these strange feelings for awhile… She had always known when she was being watched; it felt as though someone was touching her, but so lightly the she barely felt it and then she would question whether she actually was or not. It was starting to frighten her, she didn't normally get spooked easily but the fact was that her wand wasn't even picking up whoever it was that was watching her. At first she had thought it was the Death Eaters that were looking for her but dismissed the thought immediately, it wasn't possible for them to get into Hogwarts…was it?

Claire sat on her bed and cradled her head in her hands, how long was this going to go on? She was frightened but didn't want to tell Severus about it, he would probably worry and she knew he hated worrying. He would never admit to it but she could feel it pooling off of him in waves. She had found him asleep, head laying on his books, in his study. He had been working nonstop trying to figure out why exactly Voldemort was so interested in her. He hadn't found anything but her heart melted every time she saw him working. He would also deny researching so much for her but she would find piles of books beside his sleeping figure, they had all been family trees and family researches for her. They had had a talk, he knew she was an orphan much to her discomfort but she had told him.

Claire stroked her covers and suddenly missed Severus' silk blanket, she wondered if he had class and decided she would go down and see him if he didn't. She quickly lifted herself off of her bed and walked to the door of her quarters, with her wand firmly in hand she opened the door and the tinge of fear settled itself in her chest once again as they invisible gaze hit her face. Now she was sure of it, there was someone watching her, but only in public places. As soon as she closed the door to her classroom the tickling sensation of eyes watching her disappeared.

Claire walked down the hallway free of students as they were all in class; she walked down the chilly path towards the dungeons and pressed her ear quietly to Severus' classroom door. She listened carefully but when she heard not a sound she entered. The classroom was empty and once again the eyes that seemed to be watching her disappeared. She closed the door lightly behind her and walked over to his personal quarters. She tapped lightly on the door and it simply opened up, odd, she had thought because his quarters were always locked and warded. She opened the door cautiously and the sound of a scratching quill infiltrated her ears.

Severus was working again, he still hadn't found out why the Dark Lord wanted Claire. He was worried and the worst part of all, he had slipped up. A couple of days ago he had been summoned, he had been 

so distracted with his work and thoughts of Claire that the Dark Lord had penetrated his walls, only for a second, maybe not even, but he knew it was enough. The Dark Lord had pretended as though nothing had changed but Severus had noticed the shift in his attitude right away. He felt a horrible twisting and burning sensation in his chest as well as his stomach, he had slipped up, how he could have been so stupid? Letting the Dark Lord into your mind was the next best thing to suicidal…

"_Ssseverus, have you any newss for me?" Severus stepped forward from the line cautiously and removed his mask. He quickly bowed down and moved his right arm so his mask rested against his left shoulder. With his head still down he tried to collect himself and then raised his head._

"_No, my Lord I apologize for my lack of--"_

"_I find it funny," The Dark Lord cut him off, his lips curving into a snarl. "That you are my mosst trussted, loyal and brightesst sservant and yet…You sseem incapable of finding even the sslightest information."_

"_My Lord, I—"_

"_Enough of your excussess! I want no more of them." The Dark Lord leaned forward in his chair carefully and Severus tried hard not to look him directly in the eye for that would be 'disrespectful'. He knew he was about to get tortured, if he didn't get tortured he would assume The Dark Lord had taken up sides with Albus and his infernal lemon drops… he quickly refocused on the red eyed demon in front of him. Voldemort was gazing at him expectantly and he drew a blank, what had he just said? His mind was stressed and tired, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his focus. Many thought he could keep a clear focused no matter what, but they all forgot that he was human to. _

"_My Lord, I assure you the information you seek will be found in--"_

"_No." That one word cut past his sentence rendering him speechless. Why didn't the man ever let him talk? Hadn't he ever heard of common courtesy? He could hear some of the Death Eaters snickering behind him and he clenched his teeth. He wanted to grind them together but he feared it would display his annoyance much too clearly. He felt the skin around his eyes tighten as he tried to prevent his irritation from showing._

"_Ssseveruss?" The Dark Lord asked in one of his many mocking tones. This also set Severus' teeth on edge._

"_Yes, My Lord?"_

"_Are you loyal to me?"_

"_Of course, Master." 'Loyal my ass.' He added as an afterthought._

"_Hmm, ssome of my sservants dissagree." The Dark Lord said dangerously, Voldemort's pale lips drew up in a cruel smile as he gazed down upon his 'faithful' servant. Murmurs of agreement travelled throughout the group of Death Eaters as they watched Severus' form turn rigid._

"_My Lord, I have only ever been faithful to you." Severus said keeping his cool, he would play their game, he would probably need to prove his loyalty again and was slightly sickened at the thought. It had been a long while since the Dark Lord had made him participate in their raids…he was, after all, his personal potions master._

"_I would hope sso, however, I find it iss time to tesst your loyalty to me."_

"_Anything to prove my undying devotion to you my Lord." Severus said with a confidence to his voice that masked all hint of otherwise, this he could guess wasn't going to go well._

"_Firsst, a quesstion my faithful sservant." A question? Could he possibly be let off the hook that easy?_

"_Of course, my Lord." He said bowing lower so that his black Death Eater robes brushed the ground beneath him. His knee was starting to hurt sitting on the tile floor but he didn't dare move it…he actually felt quite silly in this position he suddenly realized he looked as if he was about to propose…_

"_Claire Laurel," Voldemort said in a hiss, his mind went on lock down, what about her? Was she safe back at Hogwarts, did she need him? What if she lost her wand, she wouldn't be able to find her way around! Wait, that was preposterous, she was a grown woman and could take care of herself. But what if she was hurt? His mind continued to swirl, thoughts and feelings all jumbled together._

"_Look at me." Voldemort hissed and Severus's eyes immediately snapped to his masters. He looked into the blood red eyes and snake like pupils of Lord Voldemort. As soon as their eyes connected he felt probing in his mind, he almost felt violated; when Albus had taught him occlumency his probing had never felt so disturbing. He kept his walls up and kept his torrent of feelings and thoughts well bricked behind it._

"_Tell me Sseveruss, do you know her?" His probing became more violent as Severus tried to clear his mind and separate his thoughts into something more understandable. His mind screamed at him to answer, answer anything, anything other than yes of course but his mouth wouldn't respond. Suddenly he understood that the Dark Lord wasn't looking for a verbal response. He franticly tried to pull his mind from the gutter and re-solidify his walls._

_He tried to compose himself but it wasn't working, why was he so distracted? He knew why… Claire had been taking up every bit of his concentration and it was at these moments that he cursed her for it. Suddenly his head exploded in pain, Voldemort had gained access to his mind. With all the strength and concentration he had left he cleared his mind of all thought but didn't push the Dark Lord out because he knew there would be severe consequences for that. _

_There was only one thing that was worrying him however, he had been so occupied with the pain exploding in his temples that he hadn't taken the time to notice exactly which memory Voldemort had gained access to._

"_Ssseveruss, you have proven your loyalty. Leave my pressence."_

"_Yes my Lord." He said and replaced his mask upon his face; he quickly turned around and vanished on the spot._

Severus put down his quill when he heard his door creek open; he had forgotten to lock it. He was forgetting a lot of things lately, his mind was constantly occupied and he cursed his lack of concentration. He was in a right foul mood and he really didn't want to be disturbed.

"Hello?"

"Yes?" He answered sharply continuing to write down all the information he had gathered so far from all the books on family trees.

"Hey Severus, I see you don't have a class so I--"

"…am still busy." He snarled at her.

"Severus, did you fall off the wrong side of the bed or what?"

"What are you talking about?" He said irritably and placed his quill down so he could glare at her. She looked really nice but even that wasn't good enough to rid his foul mood. She walked over to him and gently touched his hand.

"Severus, what's wrong?"

"Everything!" He snarled at her and stood up abruptly. "Did you need something?"

"Not exactly…but I--"

"Then kindly leave." She simply stared at him and for some reason this infuriated him more.

"Didn't you hear me? Or are you deaf as well as blind?" He snapped, he watched as a look of hurt flitted across her face and regretted it immediately.

"Claire, I'm sorry I--"He watched as a single tear started to form in her eye but remained there, it didn't fall. Her face turned to stone and she whipped it away immediately. He watched with a twisted heart and a powerful headache as she simply gazed at him seemingly contemplating something. That was it; she had had enough of him hadn't she? He knew it was only a matter of time, he had too much of a temper.

He watched as she walked the length of the room and stood before him, for a moment he thought she was about to slap him, not that he didn't deserve it. She raised her hand and he a waited the stinging he knew would present itself upon his cheek but when it didn't come he looked back at her. Her hand was raised close to his face but it didn't seem as though she was going to strike him, instead she gentle placed her hand on his cheek and stroked her thumb over his skin.

"I know your working hard, it's alright." She said to him and his shoulders slumped. He was ashamed of what he had said and how he had acted but he didn't think he would be able to express himself. Claire wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him tight.

"I know." She whispered. She watched as the corner of his mouth twitched so she supposed she had defused his bomb…for the moment at least. She knew he was under a lot of stress, and it was mostly because of her, she felt guilty for his sleepless nights so it really didn't surprise her that he was in a bad mood.

She moved behind him and pulled his shoulders down until he sat back down on his chair. He didn't like being told what to do so she was sure he was about to protest. Sure enough…

"Claire…" He growled.

"Oh shut up." She said good-naturedly. He growled at her again but she ignored him. She worked her hands down to his shoulders and moved her fingers in circular motions. He was extremely tense and there were knots everywhere. He let out a muffled sound as she hit a tender spot so she moved her fingers higher to his neck and he couldn't prevent the groan that escaped him. She continued to work his muscles until all the kinks were out. She noticed his eyes were dropping so she fetched him some tea. She made it quickly and brought it back to him but once again found him a sleep on his work. She smiled slightly and set her tray of tea down in front of him, it would be a while before he got up again, she conjured him a pillow and gently placed his head on it. She stroked his hair for a little while before placing a heating charm on the tea.

Voldemort tapped his chair thoughtfully. He gazed at his servants and they kept their gazes down towards the floor. He knew know that Severus was in fact a spy, a traitor. He had called all his death eaters back to him except for one, Severus couldn't be there; he had plans for him… When he had broken into Severus' mind he had found the one thing he had been looking for, for the past few weeks.

He had watched as the one woman he had been looking for slowly approached Severus under a mistletoe on the ice outside of Hogwarts. Severus had known all along where she was, worst of all he had actually known her. The suspicions all his servants had told him of had been accurate. Severus was a traitor. Well, he wouldn't act now…no, he was going to deal with Severus once they found the girl.

"Luciuss, Have you found any new information?"

"We are tracking the woman as you demanded master; she is the defence against the dark arts teacher."

"Excellent! We will have her ssoon, but I demand you to continue watching her…thiss could prove interessting." Voldemort hissed, he was pleased, very pleased. He gazed at his servants and smiled cruelly.

"Hass Dumbledore ssusspected anything?"

"No, my Lord we are being as discreet as possible."

"That issn't good enough!" Voldemort snapped, "He must not know! Iss that clear?"

"Of course my Lord." They all murmured at once.

"Luciuss." He called, Malfoy stepped up once again and bowed low.

"Crucio." Voldemort said with a lazy flick of his wand. Lucius withered on the ground.

"Did I not assk you to report to me ass ssoon ass posssible?" Voldemort hissed menacingly. He gazed down at the twitching wizard on the ground. He finally lifted the curse and sent a bone crushing one instead. This time Lucius screamed as his arm shattered.

"Iss. That. Clear?" He asked again his voice low and dripping with venom.

"Yes Master." Lucius said obviously gritting his teeth in pain.

Voldemort refocused his attention on the entire group completely ignoring the small figure of Lucius cradling his arm and trying to rejoin the circle.

"I believe we have found a traitor!" Voldemort said in a booming voice. Murmurs started up immediately and Voldemort's eyes blazed hot fire.

"Ssilence! Did I give you permisssion to sspeak?" He hissed at them all, silence filled the large damp room as each person refocused their attention on the snake like figure at the front of the room.

"It seemss ass though Sseveruss Ssnape hass betrayed uss." Words of outrage followed quickly around the room.

"Yess, yess hiss time will come." Voldemort said, an evil glee invading his voice. He enjoyed his servant's energy and eagerness.

"I demand that you all treat him the ssame ass ussual, he sshall be punished, but at the opportune moment." He said, the silent figures in black nodded, some looking as if they would rather argue the piont but wouldn't dare.

"I tire of your pressence, leave and return only when you have found ssomething usseful to pressent me" They all nodded and one by one they disapparated. Once he was alone with his thoughts he carefully stroked Nagini's head in quiet contemplation. He was very close to having Claire in his presence, perfect timing as well… He was tiring of the old man's resistance to his curse…he was absolutely sure a little motivation would help him make…the right decision.

Nagini snaked down his arm and hissed softly at him. "_A happy family reunion…don't you think?_" He hissed at her. She bobbed her head and he stroked her thoughtfully. He would break her first, then he would let her meet her father…the stronger their bond the more he could inflict pain to motivate. Samuel was an inventor…a brilliant one at that but he was started to …rebel…well, he would fix that.

A/N- Hey guys! So sorry it took so long, I had so much homework to do! Hopefully I'll be able to post more soon. Tell me what you think ;) Thx guys


	29. In His Own World

Chapter 29

Claire listened to Severus' soft snoring as he slept on his work. She wanted to bring him to bed but she was about one hundred percent sure he would be even crankier with her if he found out. She needed him to be in a good mood if she was ever going to get him to take her to the valentine's ball. Speaking of which, she still wasn't sure how she was going to get him to go with her…he had already expressed his opinion on valentine's day when a first year tried to give him a valentines card…he set it on fire. She thought that was cruel of him but knew she was never going to change how he felt about it so she didn't bother arguing.

Claire sighed and rested her head on the arm rest of his large comfortable couch. She still adored that thing, it sunk in every time she sat down and she was almost engulfed in it. She wasn't tired herself, her mind was ticking and she couldn't seem to find a way to get him to take her to the ball… She didn't particularly like social events very much but despite that, she wanted to spend the evening with him doing something other than talking, she wanted to dance.

She traced designs lightly on the leather couch when she felt a tickling on her fingers. She lifted her hand lightly and stroked Satina's scales.

"You know what?" She whispered softly to Satina. Her only reply was another tickling on her fingers. Satina's tongue flickered out and lightly touched her finger tips a few times and she wondered if she was trying to tell her something.

"I wish Severus would just ask me, than I wouldn't have to do all this plotting!" She whispered to her again. Satina quietly slithered around her head and rested her tail in Claire's hand. Claire laughed softly and with one finger she played with her tail. Satina tickled her neck with her tongue and she stopped playing with it. She laid her hand on the couch but realized that Satina had placed her tail in the palm of her hand again. Claire closed her fingers over her tail but Satina wiggled it out. She was confused…What was she doing? She carefully opened the palm of her hand and once again Satina placed her tail against it.

Claire kept her hand still when she noticed Satina was moving her tail around in her palm. She concentrated on the circular motions and suddenly realized with a jolt that Satina was spelling letters against her skin.

"I – k-n-o-w—h-o-w—t-o—m-a-k-e—h-i-m—g-o." the letters formed in her hand.

"Really? You are quite intelligent you know that?" She said quietly still not wishing to disturb Severus. He had promised to take her out to their tree that night but she wasn't sure whether he'd be up to going.

"O-f-c-o-u-r-s-e—I—a-m." Satina spelt in her hand.

"I suppose that's why you picked Severus as your master, am I right?" Satina nodded her head and Claire laughed softly.

"As you were saying, my sneaky friend?"

"W-e-r-e—y-o-u—n-o-t—h-u-r-t—b-y—w-h-a-t—S-e-v-e-r-u-s—h-a-d—s-a-i-d—t-o—y-o-u—e-a-r-l-i-e-r?"

"Ah, the deaf comment? Yes, it did hurt but I understand where his frustration came from."She whispered to her still attempting to keep quiet for Severus.

"H-e-r-e—i-s—w-h-a-t—y-o-u—s-h-o-u-l-d—d-o…"

Satina and Claire spent the remainder of their evening plotting on the perfect scheme. They had minor details to worry about but they were sure getting to Severus wouldn't be a problem.

"Sounds like a plan." Claire whispered trying to control the smile that wanted to play across her lips; it was a Slytherin plan…the whole way through.

"L-e-a-v-e—t-h-e—r-e-s-t—t-o—m-e." Satina wrote on her hand. She hissed gently and slowly slithered down to the ground, Claire listened as Satina slithered over to the man sleeping on his desk. She laid her head down on the couch and shut her eyes as phase one of their operation was set in motion.

Severus awoke to a tickling on his face.

"Claire, go away!" He mumbled but then suddenly felt scales rub themselves against his cheek.

"_Rise and shine princess."_

"_Shut up."_ He thought back to her and stroked Satina's scales softly.

"_What time is it?"_

"_Time for you to take Claire to your tree, you did promise you know…"_

"_You're right I suppose…"_

"_When are you going to learn that I am always right?" The cool female voice asked_

"_Forgive me your highness…" _He said sarcastically.

"_Forgiven." _Shesaid and a pleasant sounding laugh filled his mind.

He grumbled about annoyingly intelligent reptiles and lifted his head. He gazed at Claire's sleeping form and watched her chest rise and fall slowly with the rhythm of her sleep. He looked at Satina with her black eyes alert and sparkling, he suddenly wondered why she seemed so excited… He shrugged it off and stood up, his limbs were aching and he _still_ had a headache. He rubbed his temples and walked over to Claire sleeping on his couch. The image in front of him was actually quite amusing, Claire's body had practically sunken into his couch.

"_She's a pretty one isn't she?" _Satina asked admiringly.

"_Who asked you?"_

"_I'm simply pointing out the obvious."_

"_Thank you for your assistance but I believe I am quite capable of seeing the obvious for myself." _

"…_of course." _The cool female voice said sarcastically.

"_What are you implying?"_

"_Nothing… Nothing at all." _She said, Severus chose to ignore the comment and held out his hand for her to climb up on. Satina gracefully wound herself up his arm and rested her head against his shoulder. Severus walked over to Claire and shook her shoulder lightly, Claire stirred but otherwise didn't wake up.

"Claire? Claire wake up." She stirred again and suddenly sat up straight smacking Severus with a baled fist. He winced and grabbed his nose, Claire turned around and quickly began apologizing.

"I'm so sorry I didn't-- Oh, it's you." She said in a flat voice and rolled back over. Severus stared at her for a moment before she spoke again.

"I'm terribly sorry Severus; I suppose I didn't _hear_ you coming."

"_Oh, it seems someone hit a nerve."_

"Claire, holding grudges is not becoming of you." He growled at her, where was this coming from? She had forgiven him already hadn't she?

"_Apparently not."_ Satina said, reading his mind.

"_No one asked you." _He shot back at her.

"_Ah, so the great Snape sees the obvious does he?"_

"_Shut up."_

Claire was still staring at him, awaiting an answer. It was obvious she had asked him something but it was hard to continue a conversation verbally with one girl and mentally with the other.

"Well?" She said sounding irritated.

He simply stared at her, he wasn't about to open his mouth just to shut it again because he knew he hadn't heard her. She huffed and turned over to face him again.

"Severus, you don't even listen to me anymore do you?" She said with a tinge of hurt instead of anger.

"Of course I do." He growled at her, why was she even questioning him?

"_You're not very good at this sort of thing are you?" _Satina said sounding smug.

"_Did I not advise you to shut your mouth only two seconds ago?"_

"_Suit yourself."_ She said curtly.

"Whatever you say Severus." Claire said, an air of defeat in her voice. She looked really upset, it twisted his heart to see her that way. He watched as she got up from the couch and walked over to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and he sat on the couch in the spot she had vacated only moments ago.

"_Well?" _

"_Well what?"_

"_How are you going to fix this?"_ Satina demanded.

"_She'll get over it." _Severus said offhandedly

"_Severus!"_

"_What?"_ He asked, genuinely confused.

"_You've hurt her feelings and the best you can say for yourself is 'she'll get over it'?"_

"_Well what would you suggest then? You obviously have some experience in the matter."_

"_Of what? Pissing others off? I think not." _She huffed out of irritation.

"_Then what use are you to me in this situation?"_

"_Just because, unlike you, I don't have experience with this doesn't mean I can't give you suggestions."_

"_Well? Let's hear them."_ Severus said sounding very much like he'd rather not even broach the subject.

"_Oh, the infamous Snape needs my help?" _She said mockingly.

"_Get over yourself you twit."_

"_Well now I don't want to help you."_

Severus growled low and menacing but ended up cradling his head in his hands, what was he supposed to do? He heard a mental sigh in his mind and turned to look at Satina's black glittering eyes… Why did she seem to be up to something?

"_I can't bear seeing you so pathetically incapable of pleasing women, so I suppose I'll help you."_

Severus bit his tongue…hard. He was going to let that slip, for now. He looked back over at his familiar but the small twinkle in her eye was starting to scare him.

"_You are taking her out tonight, yes?"_

Severus nodded his head, he didn't bother replying.

"_And which day is it tomorrow?"_

"_Tomorrow is a Friday."_

"_Think harder."_ She said, he assumed if she could roll her eyes, she would have done it by now.

"_Valentine's day."_ He said with a sneer.

"_There you go."_

"_Satina…Your not suggesting that I take her to…No, no I won't go!" _

"_Severus, you are being a coward, it's just a ball."_

"_I won't go."_

"_You have to."_

"_No."_ He said stubbornly.

At that moment Claire walked back out of the bathroom and sat down beside him. She turned her head, eyes still looking sad and carefully placed her hand on top of his.

"_Ask her."_ Satina whispered in his mind.

He ignored her and rubbed Claire's hand softly. He couldn't do it, wasn't there any other way?

"_Ask her."_ Satina said with a little more persistence.

Severus ignored her once again and turned his attention back to Claire, he grabbed both her hands in his and opened his mouth…Wait, what was he going to say?

"_Ask her!" _She almost shouted in his mind.

"Claire," He said through gritted teeth. "Would you do me the honour of accompanying me to…" He trailed off uncertainly, his voice was rougher then he had intended, why was this so hard to do?

"_You were doing fine, keep going."_

"Yes?" Claire inquired, she looked genuinely curious but something about her posture was sending warning signals in his head, he _was_ a spy after all.

"…of accompanying me to that retched ball they have tomorrow evening." He finally ground out.

The effect was immediate, Claire's face brightened and her eyes sparkled. A wide grin graced her face and she beamed at him.

"I assume that's a yes?" He inquired half amused and have irritated that it had to come to that.

She squealed quietly and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"You bet!" She said and there was a new high in her voice. Severus was so immersed with an arm full of Claire that he hadn't noticed the small pat on the head Claire had given Satina behind his back…

"Well, let's get a move on it's getting dark out, we are still going to the tree tonight right?" She asked him suddenly looking uncertain.

"Of course, grab your things, it's quite chilly out." Claire summoned her coat and Severus fetched his black travelling cloak.

The pair walked out onto the grounds, it was actually quite cold out but Claire didn't complain. They had left Satina inside because apparently she was 'bothering' Severus. Claire smiled when she thought back to their plan, it had worked perfectly. When she thought about it, Satina must have been very good at persuading him because she knew how much he hated social events.

Once they finally settled themselves down at their tree, Severus quickly cast a warming charm and they began a long chat.

"Severus, I can't dance, what are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Ah, see? Problem solved… We won't attend."

"Nice try, you asked and I accepted. We are going." He seemed disappointed but she laughed instead of feeling bad for him, it was about time he did something fun. As if reading her mind he growled at her.

"I don't do…social events." He hissed and she laughed quietly at him. Oh well, he would get over it.

"Can you dance Severus?" She asked him, her voice was low and sounded far off as if she weren't interested in his answer. The truth was, she was very interested. She expected a direct and very insulted 'no', but when it didn't come she listened carefully for a hint of what he was thinking.

"I might." He whispered so quietly she almost didn't catch it.

"Pardon?" She asked in complete shock, had she heard that right?

"I believe I said that I…I might." He said, he had started out bitter but by the end of his sentence it sounded more defeated. She couldn't believe what she had heard. Severus Snape, feared potions master at Hogwarts…could dance?

"What?" He snapped, she supposed she was staring at him so she turned away. Suddenly she envied all those who _could_ actually stare at him.

"Nothing," She mumbled, "It's just that…Well I can't so, I'm wondering if I might make tomorrow a disaster." She finished lamely.

"Would you like to practice?" He whispered beside her. Severus gazed out at the stars as he awaited her answer, it was a nice night, there was a full moon and no clouds in the sky.

"Right now?" He heard her ask. He glanced her way and saw her smiling face.

"If you wish."

"But there isn't any music." she said half laughing. He was very surprised by the affect a small dance was having on her. The one minute it seemed as though she wanted to hex his balls off and all of a sudden she was all smiles and giggles…women, he would never understand them.

"There is no need for music." He said and stood up, he gently held out his hand and Claire accepted it gracefully. He pulled her to her feet and grabbed both her hands gently. He placed her left hand on his shoulder and placed his own on her waist. He grabbed her right hand with his left and extended their folded hands away from their bodies. He started moving his feet slowly and waited until Claire copied the move.

After a few moments Claire started to understand the foot work and they gradually began moving faster. Claire was bursting with joy, Severus moved so elegantly, no wonder he wasn't clumsy at all. They swayed gentle to a waltz she was guessing; she really had no idea about ballroom dancing. The steps didn't seem so difficult after they were repeated a couple of times.

"Severus, where did you learn to dance?" She asked him, they were very close to each other and she could feel his breath on her neck.

"My mother sent me to a small school of…arts."

"Your mother sent you to a dancing school?"

"When I was very young." He said defensively.

"And you still know how to do it?"

"I have a good memory." He said and suddenly they spun and Claire almost lost her balance.

"But you still practice it don't you?" She said teasingly but shut her mouth quickly when Severus started picking up the speed.

"I'll admit to practicing it on occasion." He said, he didn't sound defensive anymore so she simply smiled at him and they continued their dance in a comfortable silence. Pretty soon Severus started slowly introducing new steps, some more complicated ones as well. Claire was having a hard time keeping up and stepped on him a few times but he insisted he hadn't felt anything. They started spinning and twirling, moving from here to there.

"Severus, this is getting complicated." Claire whined to him. She heard him chuckle deeply and they started to slow.

"We could modify it if you wish." He mumbled against her ear. They had gotten closer together as they danced and Claire was glued to his chest.

"We can do that?"

"Why not?" He said silkily and suddenly he introduced steps she hadn't learnt yet.

"Now you try and add one." He told her. Claire shuffled her feet forward and back, forward and back and then she twisted them around.

"Good, very good." He whispered to her and they spent another half an hour developing new steps until they had created a dance of their own.

"That was lovely Severus." Claire whispered to him as their dance came to an end. She felt his lips twitch in response next to her cheek.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?" He answered. They were still holding on to each other and suddenly Claire pushed back from him a little bit.

"Smile for me?" She asked quietly.

"Umm…No." He said

"Why not?" She asked him sounding a little disappointed.

"Because I don't smile, my dear. You should know that already."

"Please?" She asked him. She had found out a while ago that he gave in when she did that.

She heard him sigh but she felt his face muscles move against her cheeks as he smiled a small smile. She reached up and touched his lips with her fingers. She traced their outline and smiled a little herself.

"It's nice to see you smile." She whispered to him.

The ball had come and Severus was dreading it. He didn't want to go into the Great Hall with student upon student watching him, it was very unnerving. Not to mention Minerva and Albus, their reactions were going to be priceless along with all the rest of the staff. Severus gazed at himself in the mirror one last time before exiting his rooms. He was wearing his normal black robes but they were made of a finer material, no one would be able to tell he dressed up expect for Claire, she would probably feel the difference. He had taken extra care in getting ready thanks to his nagging familiar. She hadn't left him alone the entire day. Reminding him constantly to have a good time or mocking the fact that he actually had to attend to something so…so…so utterly ridiculous.

He walked to Claire's chambers and cursed her most of the way. He finally reached the door to her private quarters and knocked on them. He waited a few moments and then Claire walked out looking absolutely stunning. If he didn't have any manners or self discipline he probably would have let his jaw drop like it desperately wanted to. He looked her over appreciatively but noticed she seemed uneasy.

"Good evening, Claire." He said silkily. She was wearing a beautiful red dress that flowed out at her knees and had a long v-neck at the top. Her dark hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head with a few curls gently out of place resting against her face. Her deep blue eyes were complimented by the barely noticeable and natural make up. To pull it all off she wore red high heels that strapped up her leg.

Suddenly Severus felt extremely underdressed but didn't bother turning around to get changed, he was wearing black and he _always_ wore black. Why change that because of a stupid ball? He took her hand gently and pulled her along so they could get the horrid event finished with.

"You look beautiful." He said to her quietly. He watched with satisfaction as a small smile crept over her lips. He hoped that would get rid of her insecurities. When they reached the giant oak doors he heard music from inside and instantly wanted to turn back around…but, he had promised her he would go. He dropped her hand and opened the door for her, he looked around and noticed how the party seemed to be in full swing already. There were teenagers everywhere he looked; it was already making him sick.

The Hall was decorated in reds pinks and whites it was almost too much for him to stand. He continued walking in and many students stopped dancing to gape at him. He scowled blackly there way and they quickly refocused their attention to their partner. He finally spotted the professors near the back of the room, he turned around to make sure Claire was following then proceeded towards the high table.

"Severus! What a surprise" Albus called over the loud music.

"Severus, what on earth are you doing here?" Minerva called after him.

"What I am doing here is none of your concerns." Severus sneered at them all. He had noticed that again, there were students watching him. He ignored them for the time being but swore to himself he was going to take off at least thirty points to _whichever_ house continued to gawk at him.

Minerva was dressed in green robes with her hair still in a small tight bun.

"Dressed a little out of theme are we Minerva?" Severus asked her with a mocking smile.

"I wouldn't be talking Severus, black is hardly appropriate for this dance." Minerva retorted with a grin.

"Well then, it is fortunate that I could care less about the theme of this dance seeing as it was hardly my idea to attend." He answered with a grimace. All the teachers automatically turned their eyes to Claire. Was it possible they all knew? Severus had asked himself. Panic started to flood his chest but they all looked away again, very abruptly in fact. He turned over and looked at Claire, she was smiling at him but still seemed suspicious. He was starting to shrug it off when Claire gently took his hand and led him to a small round empty table near the back of the room.

"Secluded enough for you?"

"No, secluded enough would be in my chambers." He said with bitterness.

"Come on Severus, try and have a good time ok?" He simply grunted in reply so she changed the topic.

"Severus, what does it look like?"

"What?"

"The Great Hall."

"It's ridiculously decorated with the most detestable colors on the face of the planet and full of hormone raging teenagers." He sneered. "Answer your question?" He added after a few moments of silence.

"Never mind." She said to him with a sigh. Claire flicked her wand in many different directions and allowed it to describe the hall for her. Suddenly she was alerted to a lonely teenager sitting at a table close to them.

"Severus, I'll be right back ok?" He didn't answer so she simply got up and walked to the table a few feet away from her own. The music was extremely loud and Claire was starting to get disoriented, she wobbled over to the table and pulled out a chair.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Of course not Professor, have a seat."

"Such a gentleman Neville!"

Claire sat down carefully and wondered why the boy was by himself. She replaced her wand inside her dress where there was a secret compartment and turned around to face the young boy.

"You look really pretty tonight Professor." Neville said quietly.

"Thank you Neville, that was very sweet of you." She could practically feel the heat radiating of his cheeks he was blushing so hard. She was practically yelling over the loud music for Neville to hear her, she could hear him just fine but she supposed having acute hearing did play its part… They had started a conversation but she wasn't any closer to discovering why the boy was alone.

"Neville? Where's Harry and the crew?"

"Oh there out there dancing…"

"So why aren't you?"

"Well I wanted to ask some-- Never mind." He cut himself off.

"Neville, come on, you know I won't tell." Claire said loudly, she moved her hand over his and smiled at him.

"Promise?" The boy asked smiling back.

She nodded her head and leaned in closer to him so he could whisper in her ear.

"I wanted to ask Luna but I don't think she'll dance with me." The boy whispered to her.

"Luna Lovegood?" Well, that was certainly an odd choice but the girl was extremely friendly and…open minded.

"Go for it!" She nearly shouted over the loud music.

"WHAT?" He said out of pure shock. "She wouldn't want to dance with me…"

"Of course she would! How about this, if you go and ask her right now… I won't give you any homework for the next two weeks, deal?"

She could feel Neville looking at her as if she had just lost her mind. But then the air around them shifted and the feel of shock was replaced with one of agreement. Neville shook his head slowly and took Claire's offered hand.

"Deal." He said and left the table. Claire smiled and walked back over to where Severus was sitting.

"Have a nice chat?" Severus sneered at her.

"Neville's going to ask Luna to dance, isn't that sweet?"

"The world has come to an end, Longbottom and Lovegood, what a combination." He said in a flat voice, he obviously didn't care too much.

Claire simply ignored him when the music suddenly changed. It wasn't a teenage rock song, it was something more of a classical kind, like a waltz. She glanced Severus' way and could tell he was leaning his head on his fist, elbow on the table.

"Students and teachers are welcome to join in a dance if they wish to, this is an old classic." Came Dumbledore's voice, loud and clear over the loud piano and violins playing in the background.

Claire felt her wand stir in her secret dress pocket as students and teachers swirled along in graceful movements to music in the background. She turned her attention back to Severus and found him tapping his finger against the table along with the rhythm. She knew he adored this song, she had heard him play it countless times. It was a smooth song; it flowed and swayed along with the dancers, truly a masterpiece.

Suddenly she stood up and walked over to his side of the table, she lifted up the hand that was tapping against the table and held it tight in hers. She waited until his eyes shot to her face before she asked him something she feared he would never do.

"Would you dance with me?" She asked him quietly.

He seemed too shocked to answer, at least that was what she was hoping for because if not, he was quiet because he was about to laugh at her absurd proposal.

"Claire," He said, it sounded as though he was having a hard time talking. "What of all the students and teachers..?"

"They won't notice there too busy dancing, please?" She asked him, she gave him a small sad smile and hoped it worked.

"Claire I don't think that's a good idea." He said rather stiffly.

She pulled him to his feet and to her complete surprise he didn't resist, he seemed begrudged to do it but otherwise (dare she hope) it seemed as though he was going to dance with her! She tested the waters a little further and pulled him closer to the dance floor, his feet shuffled along in smaller steps then he would have normally taken but he let her pull him along just the same.

Severus had absolutely no idea why he was allowing her to pull him towards the dance floor. Maybe it was the overpowering music, he absolutely adored the song. He looked at her large blue eyes filled with excitement and found he simply couldn't take the spark away from her eyes. He noticed that there were a couple people who had turned to glance his way and he wanted to turn around and go back to the dungeons but Claire pulled him along.

They had reached the dance floor and the flashing lights were making him slightly dizzy. The lights were dimed down low and the music was almost at ear drum busting volume. He looked back at Claire and then around at the crowd of people dancing the exact steps he had been teaching her the night before. With a little more coaxing from Claire he finally put his hand gently on her waist and clasped her other hand in his. She rested her head against his shoulder and he was just about to ask her not to but Satina's words came to mind…_coward_… She had called him. He was not a coward, he was just going to tuff the song out and then head back to his chambers, that was it, that was all.

He began moving his feet slowly and waited until Claire moved hers as well, the other dancers moved much faster than they were but he wanted to give Claire the chance to remember the steps. It seemed she had a quick memory because she was soon speeding up. After no time at all they were also swirling around the dance floor. Listening to his favourite song and swaying along the floor must have dulled his brain because suddenly it was hard to concentrate on anything else in the room other then the witch in his arms.

"Let's mix it up shall we?" Claire whispered in his ear and she moved her feet in the completely wrong direction, he was about to ask her what she doing when he realized it was one of their made up moves.

He caught on quickly and pretty soon Severus felt as though he was gliding across the dance floor, he was so caught up in the music, Claire and his new found dance moves that he didn't notice that other dancers had stopped dancing. The students had all pulled away from the center dance floor and watched with open mouths as their Potions Professor and Defence teacher waltzed in a new fashion across the floor. Eventually teachers had stopped dancing as well and it wasn't long before Severus and Claire were the only ones left dancing, it seemed as though both hadn't even noticed.

The children could not believe their eyes, Severus Snape was DANCING first of all and he was TOUCHING another human being, were they dreaming, or perhaps it was an illusion placed there by the 

Headmaster to play a trick on them? They all continued to watch the graceful movements of their most feared potions master when they noticed the teachers looked just as shocked.

Severus was humming along with the tune slowly in Claire's ear; they had gotten closer during their dance and were now glued to one another, yet still moving quickly in swirls and circles. Severus let Claire go for a moment and spun her around to face him once again, their dance was uniquely their own and yet they danced it as if it had been rehearsed over for centuries. They continued to dance as the music reached its high point and slowed as the music descended and faded down to only a couple notes here and there. Severus was in his own world; in this world pretty much nothing existed. Nothing existed except for the ground under his feet, the air he breathed, the music he heard and the most beautiful witch he had ever seen in his arms. The music was slowing to a stop and with the final note he moved his hand form her waist to her back and leaned her backwards. Her hair fell and lightly touched the ground beneath her, Claire's legs lifted slightly against his and his face fell only inches form hers.

Still in his world, he stretched down and gently touched his lips to hers. A small jolt met his lips and he was propelled to do it again. Claire responded eagerly and he lifted his free hand to lightly touch her face when he heard the first whistle. Suddenly his small world of isolation disappeared and he opened his eyes and saw for the first time since the song started what he was doing and where he was doing it. He lifted his gaze up and met the twinkling pair of Albus Dumbledore, he looked around and noticed the entire hall of students and teachers were staring at them…no, not them… they were staring at _him_.

No one said a word, even the music had stopped playing, and every person was staring at him with wide eyes and slightly open mouths. The hall was completely silent. But then he heard it again, someone was whistling and then suddenly the entire hall erupted in cheers, cat calls and wolf whistles. What had he just _done?_

A/N- Hey guys! I'm so sorry it took so long again but I have incredible amounts of homework and projects to get done, I don't think I'll be able to post for a little while again. :( Anyway, hope you guys like it, my next chapter is going to be a little more exciting... Let me know what you think, thx guys!


	30. Goodbye kiss

Chapter 30

Claire had been having the time of her life. She had been swirling and dancing along the dance floor with the man she admired most in the world and the best part was that he didn't seem to mind after a while. The music pounding in her ears was a delight and the shuffling feet around her fuelled her desire to dance. All the vibrations from the many sounds enabled her to determine the shadows of many students and teachers around her. The vibrations of sound made the shadows around her almost as clears as when it was raining.

She could tell Severus' mind had slipped away somewhere where she didn't wish to disturb it. Suddenly she noticed that many of the shuffling feet had disappeared and the music was her only source of vibrations left. Severus was still dancing so it was obvious he hadn't noticed the lack of people dancing, she had hoped it would stay that way. They were the only ones left dancing in the great hall and she knew she ought to be embarrassed but she found herself wishing it would never end.

Suddenly the song started to slow and to her complete astonishment, he bent her down low to the ground and kissed her gently. Oh boy. He was not going to be happy when he realized he had just kissed her in front of the entire school and staff. Claire felt his entire frame freeze on the spot. The soft hand that was touching her face was hard as rock and his other hand on her back went rigid. She felt him tilt his head up to look at every person in the hall when she realized they were probably all starting at him. She could hear the wolf whistles and catcalls but all that noise seemed far away at the moment. She had to find a way to loosen Severus up before he exploded. She placed her hands on either side of his face and smoothed small circles on his temples.

"It's ok, relax." She said flatly, it wasn't a time to sooth him it was time to calm him down. She felt his eyes shift back to hers and she started discreetly rubbing small circles along his jaw hidden from all the prying eyes by the curtain of hair that had fallen down from the top of his head. She heard his jaw pop as he worked the kinks out. She didn't know what to expect when he finally came out of his frozen moment but she only hoped he wouldn't blow up on all the children around them. Suddenly she was pulled up right quickly and the hands holding her were removed hastily. To her surprise, Severus didn't say a word, she had expected him to have stormed off by now, maybe he was managing his anger?

"What" He hissed through clenched teeth, "are you all staring at?" He finished in a deadly whisper.

The hall went silent and the cheers ceased immediately. OK, maybe he didn't quite have a hold on his anger yet…

His hands curled into fists and he drew himself to his full height. The atmosphere had changed; it was no longer filled with shock but a bordering calm, as in the eye of the storm. The students and even some staff members were awaiting the inevitable explosion, the consequence of their cheering.

"Severus, let's go." Claire whispered to him quietly. It seemed as though his temper was far passed its limits because she didn't think he had heard her.

It seemed as though Severus was just about to start on a rampage when Albus intervened.

"Come now students, the music is still playing and the night is still young. Go about your business." He said with a light, airy voice. There were murmurs all around, some shocked but most downright flabbergasted. Eventually the crowd of students dissipated and Claire listened to their retreating footsteps.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the students left and Severus' teeth continued to grind together.

"Come on." She whispered tugging on his sleeve. She pulled him out of the great hall and away from prying eyes until the Great Hall doors closed behind them.

"You ok?" She asked him reproachfully. He didn't answer so she slowed down her pace and pulled on his fingertips to make him stop.

"Severus? I'm sorry for making you go; I didn't think that would happen I--"She felt a hand wave itself in front of her to silence the flow of words.

"Give me a moment." He said through clenched teeth. Claire closed her mouth with a click and waited until he let out a loud breath.

"Alright." He said quietly and continued walking down the corridor. Claire followed uncertainly until they stopped in front of her quarters. It was obvious he was still angry or embarrassed; she wasn't quite sure which one, because he kept his distance from her and didn't turn her way.

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Severus wasn't entirely angry anymore; he was ashamed of his slip up and angry at himself but he knew it wasn't right to make Claire believe it was her fault. He had prepared a secret diner for her that night, it was a surprise for her and he didn't want to ruin it with his foul mood. They had reached her quarters and he curled a thin finger around a lose strand of her dark hair.

"We are having dinner in my quarters tonight; I will come and get you when it is ready." He said to her. He watched as she leaned in to peck him on the lips but suddenly his arm twitched violently and he pulled away from her. He wasn't being summoned because it would have felt different but _he _was definitely up to something. He refocused on Claire and saw the hurt in her eyes. He went to kiss her lightly when his arm twitched again.

"I'll be back later." He whispered and stalked down the corridor towards his dungeons leaving Claire behind with a heavy heart.

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"Luciussss!" Voldemort sneered and Malfoy walked briskly from the half circle in front of the Dark Lord. He bowed respectfully and placed his mask upon his shoulder.

"My Lord?" He murmured.

"You have your potion?" Voldemort asked the red gleam in his eyes glowing extra bright.

"Of course my Lord." Lucius said his blond hair forming a light curtain around his face.

"Then leave my pressence and don't return empty handed." Voldemort hissed and waved a pale hand in his direction.

"I will not return with news that displeases you, my Lord." Lucius said patting a small pocket in his robes containing a small potion vile.

"Ssee that you don't, you are familiar with the conssequencess if you fail me." Lucius' obvious attempt at hiding a shudder didn't go unnoticed as Voldemort's lip curled into a snarl. Lucius rose off the floor, pulled out the small vial, and drank it down in one swift motion. His skin started to bubble and transfigure itself, his nose grew and his eyes grew slightly larger and darker. His hair shortened up 'till it reached shoulder length and darkened considerably. Lucius smiled a crooked smile and disapparated on the spot with a small port key in hand.

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Claire was sitting on her couch; it was taking Severus a long time to come get her. She was starting to have a horribly feeling in the pit of her stomach. She replayed the moment repeatedly when she had tried to kiss him goodbye. He had flinch and pulled away quickly, what did that mean? Was he still that angry with her? Maybe he was regretting being with her? Did he hate her now as he did everyone else? She knew something was wrong when he flinched away from her but she wasn't quite sure what it was. He didn't seem to be in any pain at all so she wondered why he was acting so strangely. She hoped it would blow off by the time dinner had arrived but he wasn't showing up….where was he?

Suddenly there was a knock on her door and she opened it wide hoping he wasn't still angry with her.

"Good evening Claire." The silky voice said. She still loved hearing his voice but for some odd reason…it sounded a tad off.

"Good evening Severus." She said calmly and quietly, she didn't want to risk tipping the boat over with him. Suddenly he grabbed her upper arm gently and steered her out of her quarters.

"Severus? Where are we going?" Claire asked after a moment, this certainly wasn't the way to his quarters. He stopped mid step and turned to face her, she felt his breath tickle her neck as he whispered to her in his velvety voice.

"Change of plans love, where going outside tonight, by our… tree." He said. Claire was starting to feel giddy again; she supposed he had gotten over his little fit.

"Severus?" She asked again as they started walking a little faster. "Why the rush?" She asked him and tried to slow down her steps, it wasn't like him to rush.

She felt him slow his pace but also noticed how a hand went to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Odd, he did that often but only when he was very stressed, why was he doing it now? Wouldn't he be relaxed? After all, he was always calmer when they went out at night. Severus' strides were brisk as always but he wasn't clicking his heals as he normally did. She was beginning to suspect something was up.

"Severus?" She asked for the third time.

"What?" He snapped at her. She pulled away from him for a moment to scowl.

"What is wrong with you tonight?" She asked him very irritated.

He didn't answer but she could have sworn she heard him mumble something about obnoxious witches. Suddenly his entire frame melted and he seemed to relax but one thing that caught Claire's attention was the fact that Severus seemed to be constantly brushing his hair out of his face and tucking it behind his ear…Severus rarely did that… He preferred to leave it there and maybe get it out of his way by 

turning his head to the side with a quick motion to settle the loose strand out of his eyesight. The man worked with potions all day so he avoided touching his hair for fear of getting it filled with potions ingredients. Claire quickly brushed it off, why was she noticing all this? Shouldn't she be grateful to be going out with him that night and the fact that he still seemed no to hate her?

They opened the doors to the entrance hall and walked outside. For some reason, there was a clawing in her stomach that made her feel uneasy, there was just something so different about him that night. Suddenly his hand was removed from her arm and replaced around her wrist. She started to struggle against his grasp and finally got it lose.

"Severus, I'm not going anywhere cut it out." She said teasingly although inside her mind was starting to panic, there was something wrong with him. His grip slackened and replaced itself in her hand, he squeezed gently and she started to relax again. They walked in silence but something was missing, it didn't feel the same… She was trying to figure out what it was but she couldn't tell. She felt them pass the tree and she stopped completely.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked her.

"Umm, Severus we passed the tree, where exactly are we going?"

"I decided someplace new would be more suitable for tonight." He said smoothly, she was feeling uncertain, why the change all of a sudden? Severus didn't even _like_ change.

"Come Claire, our dinner is getting cold." He said and coaxed her along. He seemed to be acting the same as usual but in her heart, she knew something was very wrong. She trusted Severus and her instincts but, at the moment, she was wondering which she trusted more. She started walking again but slower than before. They were getting closer to Hogwarts boundaries and Claire was getting nervous, wait, why was she nervous? She was with Severus after all…wasn't she? But, that's when it hit her, the thing there little walk lacked. The wind hit her full force but didn't carry with it the scent of autumn, it didn't carry _his _scent. How could this be? Every person had a scent whether they got it from showering products or if it was just their natural scent. She had thought Severus only smelt of autumn because of his cleaning products but later realized it was his natural scent as well.

She stopped mid stride and didn't move. This man was not Severus. The reality hit her hard and she slipped her wand out of her robe pocket.

"Love? What is it?" 'Severus' asked her.

"Get away from me." She said quietly, her voice sounded deadly even to her own ears.

"Claire, what is this nonsense?" He said sharply and advanced on her. Suddenly an idea formed in her mind and she stepped closer to him.

"I'm sorry Severus I don't know what came over me." She said sounding completely innocent. She giggled at herself and got closer to him.

"Can I have a kiss Severus?" She asked him sweetly.

"Of course." He said silkily and leaned in closer to her. She was about to touch her lips to his when she lifted her hands up and placed them on his chest. She moved them up until they reached his collarbone and pressed hard, trying to find a small round piece of metal at his neck. She didn't find one.

"_This is a special charm, in case of emergency, you will be able to contact me and we will be able to communicate through them."_

"_How do I activate it?" She sensed him shift positions and wondered why he seemed so embarrassed all of a sudden._

"_You have to repeat what's inscribed on the back." He finished in a rush. It was obvious he was feeling uncomfortable. She wanted to tell him how much it meant to her but she knew he wouldn't want to hear it._

"_What does the back of yours say?"_

"_You don't need to know."_

"_Please?"_

"_No."_

Claire's lips were about to touch his when she lifted up her leg and smashed her knee into his groin. The man grunted loudly and pulled away from her, falling to his knees. Claire turned as quickly as possible and bolted towards the castle. She stumbled as she ran and her heart was thumping madly in her chest. She was terrified and the only thing that kept her going was the thought that if that man was impersonating Severus, then the real Severus was probably hurt somewhere in the castle…or worse.

She kept running until she sensed a spell heading her way but unfortunately, she tripped and fell causing the spell to hit her back before she could dodge it. The spell blasted her a few feet into the air before she came crashing down onto the hard ground. She heard a loud crack where she landed on her arm and her ankle twisted on impact. Her head was throbbing; the wind was knocked out of her and her arm hurt worse than anything she could remember. She slowly tried to lift herself off the ground but she ended up falling back on her bruised ribs. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She quickly removed her injured arm from underneath her and grabbed hold of her charm still hanging around her neck. Her wand had slipped out of her grasp and she hadn't the faintest clue where it had gone.

"The sun that brightened up my darkest night." She whispered still out of breath. The charm warmed up and she sucked in some air ready to yell for help when someone's hand grabbed her hair and yanked it up so hard half her body was lifted from the ground. Claire screamed, she hadn't meant to but she wasn't expecting the pain that burst from her scalp.

"I'll take that." Came a completely different voice, she didn't recognize it, yet it was just as silky and sneering as Severus'. Her charm was ripped off her neck and crushed in the man's other hand. She knew it was broken by the dull crunching noises the man was making in his hand right by her ear. A tear escaped her eye not because of her broken arm or because of her massive headache, she cried because she had planned to keep that small token of Severus' affection with her forever. She felt the small pieces of metal fall on the back of her hands as the man wrenching the hair out of her scalp let the pieces of her broken necklace fall in the dirt.

"Get up!" He hissed at her and she carefully pushed herself off the ground. "You have an appointment with a very special person." He said slowly.

"Hopefully the person I'm meeting has better breath than my escort." She sneered back. Suddenly a hand connected with her face and a fierce stinging replaced it on her cheek.

"Do not insult me!" The man said yanking her broken arm ahead of him to keep her moving. Claire held back a small cry of pain as her broken arm throbbed were the man had grabbed it.

"Your breath insulted me; I was merely returning the favour." She said cheekily, the hand came down once again across her face and the stinging continued. No matter, she could deal with pain; she had to distract him so she could get away. She felt the corner of her mouth moisten with blood and she whipped it off with the back of her hand that wasn't being held hostage. She realized she was still wearing her dress and high heels. _'No wonder I tripped._' She thought sourly. They were getting closer to the edge of the Hogwarts apparation boundaries and she was starting to get worried.

Suddenly they came to a stop mere feet from the disapparation point when the man in front of her pulled something out of his robes.

"Why aren't you binding me?" Claire asked coyly as she tried to move away from him.

"Because a Malfoy doesn't need to restrain a _witch_ to do as he pleases. I can over power with or without my wand."

A Malfoy? So, Lucius Malfoy was with her. Suddenly a ring was slipped on her finger and she knew it was a port key immediately, she could feel the power surging around it. She supposed it was smarter to get her there by port key if Voldemort wanted her, it ensured no screw-ups. Claire took a deep breath and turned his way.

"Think fast!" She yelled and punched him square in the nose. The man stumbled backwards with a cry of pain and she took off again. She had to find her wand! First thing was first though, get rid of the port key, Lucius could still activate it at any time. She quickly ripped the ring off her finger and, just in case, she ripped off a piece of her dress and attached it to the ring. With almost all the strength she had left, Claire threw the ring as far as she could and continued running. But as she suspected, Lucius had caught up to her in no time. He grabbed her injured arm and started tugging on it, Claire screamed as loud as she could. She screamed and hoped to god that somewhere, someone in the castle would hear her.

Lucius yanked her broken arm fiercely which cut off her screams for a moment. She started kicking and screaming, she mind as well try to defend herself the muggle way without her wand. The man just would not use his wand against her, he was too proud as a Malfoy to have to use his wand on a woman. He believed he could get her there without the use of his magic. Well, if he thought he was so good she was going to give him hell on the way.

She tried with all her might to get away from him but it was no use, he dragged her across the Hogwarts barriers and grabbed her hand.

"Where is the ring?" He said impatiently. Claire felt spray hit her face and realized it was too thick to be saliva; he was spitting blood at her. Good, well at least she got one good punch in.

"What ring?" She said biding her time.

"The damn ring you bloody bitch!" He yelled at her, more blood spraying her face.

"Oh that one…" Claire said still in thought. She received another slap across the face that knocked her to her knees.

"Where is it?" he hissed at her, his voice full of venom.

"Where's what?" She asked him again. Her voice held no emotion but inside she felt a throbbing urge to laugh at him, she knew it was hardly appropriate but honestly, what was the use in asking your victim were the device of their demise went to?

"You do realize you are coming with me with or without the port key." He said acidly to her.

Claire shrugged in response earning her a knee in her gut. "That was hardly gentlemanly." Claire coughed aggressively and hunched down to hold her bruised abdomen. The truth was, he hadn't actually hurt her that bad but once again, she was trying to stall. Finally, it seemed as though Lucius was getting impatient and yanked her up to her feet aggressively. Claire's dress was torn and her knees were shaking from the cold. He yanked her roughly to her feet and her twisted ankle gave way. She winced in pain but he didn't notice as he dragged her closer to him. Lucius wrapped his arms around her; Claire struggled feebly as dried blood cracked near the corner of her mouth and a fresh amount poured out of the other side. Claire tried one last time to escape but in one quick motion, there was rushing in her ears and her world started spinning as they apparated away from safety, away from Hogwarts and away from Severus.

A/N- Hey guys! So sorry for taking so long, I had the biggest amount of homework lol. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed, hopefully I can post again tomorrow. Let me know what you think, thx guys!


	31. Do it

Chapter 31

Severus was setting his table; he was taking an extra long time to get ready because he wanted everything to be perfect. Claire was probably getting impatient with him but he knew she'd appreciate what he had planned for her. It was a candle light dinner, not that she would see it but he knew she had a way of knowing how much trouble he'd gone through to make her happy.

Wow, that took him by surprise for the moment, he'd changed a lot. His heart was still frosty but it completely melted when he was around her, he found himself asking a frequent question; what was it about her that made him forget that he had to be a bastard? What was it that she did to make him feel like he was wanted or needed again?

Suddenly something odd happened; his necklace started burning at his neck. He quickly lifted it out of his robes and fingered the cool metal. Suddenly a piercing scream met his ears; it was so loud he had to cover the locket with his hands. He winced from the sound of it and then he heard something that made his heart stop and his breath catch in his throat.

"I'll take that." Came the voice of Lucius Malfoy, hard and chilling. Suddenly his locket went quiet; there was nothing more than a hum. He brought the locket to his lips and murmured the inscription on the back.

"Claire?" He whispered, his voice was low filled with disbelief.

"Claire? Can you hear me?" He said, his voice was hollow and his heart had stopped beating, no, it wasn't true. Maybe it wasn't Malfoy? Claire was probably still in her quarters getting ready for dinner, wearing her bright red dress with her hair tied up in a bun. But the more he thought about it, the more his breathing started to quicken, his heart came to life in a quick rush of adrenaline and his fingers started to work over the locket furiously. Malfoy had her. Lucius, his old time friend had Claire and was taking her where? To the Dark Lord of course.

Severus stuffed the locket in his robes and bolted out of the front door. He didn't realize he was running, he didn't even notice the tired students heading up to their beds after spending the night dancing. Many curious eyes followed their potions master as he flew down the corridor, robes billowing madly behind him. Severus finally reached the entrance hall and pushed open the doors, they opened quickly and the first thing he did, he hadn't done in a very long time. He pulled out his wand, took a deep breath and thought of a happy thought.

Suddenly memories came swimming to mind. He was sitting on his couch talking to Claire; they were ridding their broomstick to go to his conference. Claire was touching his hand under their tree, he was dancing with her out in the moonlight…there first kiss. Suddenly, without even pronouncing the spell a silver doe burst from his wand tip. He gazed at the beautiful animal for mere seconds; a small sting started in his heart but he realized…it didn't burn anymore. He 

touched the doe's nose and whispered a message. The silver patronus disappeared in wisps of silver smoke.

Severus started at a run down the hilltop; he was stumbling the whole way, something he never did. His feet and legs had a mind of their own as he stumbled down the grass. They were carrying him faster than he had ever gone; it wasn't very long until he was out of breath. His lungs were starting to ache but he needed to help her, he knew she was out on the grounds because of the locket, it had told him her location. He was still running, the wind whipped his face and his throat was dry but his heart pounded too hard for him to stop. His heart was leading the way instead of his head or instincts, quite the unusual change for him.

His mind was in panic mode and no matter how much he tried to rationalize, it didn't want to cooperate. Suddenly he passed their tree and he saw, from a distance two human shaped figures. One was holding the other quite aggressively. He saw from the shadow of the moon that the second figure was wearing dangling clothing, which must have been Claire's dress. Something was wrong with the way her arm was resting; she was slouched at an odd angle with her head tilted back. After he noticed she was hurt his mind went blank, suddenly his heart slowed down to a steady pace and what he had to do was clear.

He had an excuse to kill Malfoy. Albus always hated it when he killed people but this…was an acceptation. He had hurt Claire, she wasn't his 'girlfriend' she was his friend, his partner and the only person he trusted to hold his heart. Lucius had hurt his reason for living and feeling, and that was inexcusable.

With renewed confidence and determination, Severus started at a run again. He was gaining speed and distance but didn't dare shout out to her, to let her know that he was there and he would protect her like he wanted to. He had to be quiet and fast. They were past the apparition wards but he knew Lucius wouldn't apparate, the Dark Lord always forbid it. They would only apparate to him when they were summoned, and for no other reason. For missions and such it was by port key _only_. He had to get there before Lucius could activate it, but wait… Why were they so close to each other if he was using a port key? Surely, he wouldn't dare apparate wherever they were going without the Dark Lords permission?

Severus was mere feet from them with determination in his heart, he was so close. He reached out a hand and just as he was about to grab hold of Claire's sleeve she was gone. Both of them disappeared with a loud _'CRACK!' _

Severus stood with his hand still outstretched in the air. Claire's dress had only been millimetres from his fingertips. Suddenly the gravity of the situation hit him hard. He dropped to his knees and pressed a hand to his chest as if he had just been winded. His heart felt so heavy he thought it might fall like a rock into the pit of his stomach. Claire was gone, the only way he could save her was if he was summoned.

They had found out where she was, did that mean they had found out _who_ she was with? If they had, then he was done for. One thing was certain, if the Dark Lord summoned him, with great chances of him being discovered, he would go. He would go and try to save her life, if he died trying then all he could hope for was that Albus would be able to help her in time. His mind went on overdrive as he thought of different possibilities. Suddenly an overwhelming anger surged through his chest, how dare they? How could they simply take away someone he cared for so much? Severus lifted up a fist, still kneeling on the ground where Lucius and Claire had vacated only moments ago, and pummelled the ground repeatedly out of anger. He barred his teeth menacingly and growled low in his throat. Why did this always happen to him?

He quickly scolded himself for being selfish, Claire was the one probably getting tortured right that second and all he could think about was the fact that they had taken her way from _him._ Suddenly the anger in his veins drained and was replaced with desperation. How was he going to get her back? The idea of her being tortured right at that very moment was driving him insane. Severus straightened up and began pacing under the moon light.

How could he do this?

He couldn't apparate there because the Dark Lord changed locations every time he was called; he had absolutely no idea where Voldemort was. That meant he had to wait to be summoned before he could find her… That was too long; it could still be a while before the Dark Lord summoned him. His mind went to visuals and the images of Claire getting hurt crushed his heart into small pieces. He had to do something, and Albus was going to help him.

Severus lifted himself off the ground and started heading back towards the castle when he stepped on something that made a small crunching noise. He lifted his foot and underneath his black boots were small brass pieces of metal. They were shinning in the moonlight like small pieces of glass. He bent down and picked up a piece experimentally; he flipped it over between his nimble fingers and traced the design of a sun.

She was his sun.

What he had inscribed on the back was something he could not and would not repeat aloud. Severus quickly picked up all the small pieces of metal and placed them in his pocket he would fix it for her if—when she returned. Suddenly the situation hit him with full force again and it was like a fatal blow, he stumbled on his way back up to the castle and ended up on his knees. This wasn't happening!

Suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder; he looked up into the concerned eyes of Dumbledore.

"Severus, what happened?" He asked the younger man in front of him.

"Lucius took her; he took her to the Dark Lord." Severus finished acidly, his voice was filled with venom but Albus knew it wasn't directed at him.

"We will find a way to get her back." Albus said confidently.

"What do you propose we do?" Severus snapped at him. Albus surveyed the man before him over his half moon spectacles.

"All in due time Severus."

"What?" He hissed menacingly at the only man he trusted.

"Severus these things need time to figure out and--"

"Absolutely not! Albus are you deaf? Did you not hear me correctly? Claire has been taken by Lucius Malfoy to get _tortured_ or possibly worse and you're going to tell me that this all takes time?!" Severus' voice rose louder and louder as he continued until he was practically yelling in the headmasters face.

"Severus," Albus said his voice still calm but serious. "We will figure something out." He finished quietly. Dumbledore tried to pick Severus up off the ground but the man brushed his arm away and they both retreated to the castle.

\\\\\\\\

Claire's head was swimming; she had a massive headache. All she knew at the moment was that her feet had landed on solid ground and that Malfoy was still glued to her arm. She tried to break his grip but ended up pursing her lips in pain as her broken arm swung limply at her side. She cradled it gently not wishing it to cause her any more pain but realized it didn't really matter because she was about to be in a lot more pain any second.

Her wand was still at Hogwarts, she had half a mind to activate her bracelet and have it transported right to her fingertips and kick Malfoy's arse with it but she knew it would probably be taken away from her and broken. Unfortunately, there was no way she could take on a room full of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself all alone.

Claire felt a chill creep up her back as the dampness of the room settled in. She could here many murmurs around her as Lucius pushed her forwards. Claire tripped over her heals as they walked so she simply kicked them off; it wasn't as if she was going to need them while thrashing around in pain on the floor.

Suddenly it hit her that she wasn't going to be saved; a knot started forming in the pit of her stomach when she thought of the pain to come. How was she going to get out of this one? The cold damp floor clicked loudly as her bare feet made contact with it, it wasn't long before she was shivering. There were more murmurs from the people around her but others were laughing, laughing at what she wasn't sure, probably her. Well, she wasn't sure why they wanted her but if they needed information or something of the sort they were going to have to rip out her organs before she said a word.

Finally, Malfoy came to stop and roughly threw her to the ground.

"Bow before your master." Came a hissed command from Lucius. Claire thought for a moment before lifting herself off the cold ground.

"No, I don't think I will… See unfortunately he isn't my master, he's yours. Why aren't _you _bowing?" Lucius smacked the back of her head roughly.

"Why you insolent little--"

"Crucio." Came a hiss from in front of her. "Luciuss! Did I give you permisssion to sstrike her?" Oh boy, that was obviously Voldemort. Claire had almost forgotten about the twitching wizard beside her as she tried to visualize a snake with legs in front of her.

"No sir." Malfoy groaned out after several seconds. Claire looked at him smugly for a moment, hell, she mind as well it was probably the last time she would be able to do it.

"I'll deal with you later, Luciuss; you are obvioussly too incompetent to do ass I assk." Voldemort hissed at him. Oh boy, she didn't think that had anything to do with him hitting her, it was most likely the fact that she threw away his port key.

She felt Lucius rise only to bow down at his waist before retreating behind her where she assumed the rest of them were. She felt Voldemort's eyes shift to her face and a horrible shiver went down her spine. It was chilling the way he could get to her and she couldn't even see him.

"Claire, I pressume?" He asked her, his voice seemed oddly full of triumph, as if he had wanted her in his presence for over a decade.

"Miss Laurel." She said coolly. He could torture her all he wanted, she wasn't about to let him call her by her first name without consent.

Claire felt the hairs on her skin rise as he lifted himself off his throne. There was a hissing noise nearby and she assumed it was the snake she had heard Harry talking about one evening. Suddenly a cold, dead feeling finger placed itself under her chin and lifted her face.

"Such rudenesss, Laurel." He hissed in her ear disrespectfully. He laughed after and it made her want to be sick.

"That's Professor Laurel to you, Riddle." She said to him, equally disrespectful with a clip to her tone. Was she suicidal? Why was she mouthing off to a man who held her fate in his hands? It was obvious all the other Death Eaters thought the same because she distinctly heard them take a step back.

"Lord Voldemort to you." He hissed back at her. He didn't sound angry…only amused. This was infuriating her; if he was going to kill her then he should do it already! Suddenly his cold finger traced the length of her jaw, she tried not to shudder, it felt disgusting.

"What'ss thiss?" He said sounding mildly curious but she suspected he already knew whatever the answer was. His fingers had found their way around her bracelet. Shit. If he took that off her there was no way she was going to be able to get her wand back. Suddenly the fingers removed themselves from her bracelet and she felt the tip of a wand pressed to it instead. Suddenly her bracelet started to heat up, it was getting too hot for her. She smelt burning skin as she frantically tried to rip it off her arm. The heat suddenly vanished and she panted, sweat dripping off her forehead.

"Interessting… It doessn't break, doess it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She muttered. He obviously heard her but made no move to hurt her. Suddenly he slipped it off her wrist before she could react.

"Hey!" She snapped.

"Ssilence!" He hissed at her pointing his wand at her neck. The point of his wand dug in her flesh, she swallowed quickly but she wasn't afraid and she wondered why. Maybe it was her Gryffindor side coming out? After all, she did have a bit of all four. On the other hand, maybe the intensity of her situation hadn't hit her yet? That was always a possibility. Thoughts flashed through her mind quickly until reality smacked into her…literally. She was blasted off her kneeling position on the floor and crashed into a hard stonewall. Her broken arm throbbed horribly and her damaged ankle twisted in an odd direction.

"You will ansswer me when I sspeak to you!" When had he asked her a question? She honestly didn't recall being asked anything.

"Forgive me your _highness_." She said bitterly. Suddenly there was a loud POP and her broken arm came out of its socket. She almost threw up right there and then. It hurt so bad she wanted to scream and curse but no, her pride would not allow it. She bit her lip until it bled, that hurt as well but it was keeping her mind off her useless arm.

"My, my you are sso much like Sseveruss. Tell me, do you know him?"

"Who are you talking about?" She asked him through gritted teeth.

"No? Well I'm ssure he rememberss you, sshall I give him a call?" Voldemort sneered at her.

Claire didn't answer, she didn't trust herself to. Suddenly she heard almost every person in the room groan and clutch at their left arms. Oh no, he was actually calling him. Would he come? Crap, that was a stupid question, of course he would. Suddenly her gut twisted painfully, no, he couldn't come! They were toast if he showed up… maybe Albus would have thought of a plan? Nope, not likely…

Claire listened for the sound of an apparition, her heart was twisting in so many ways she thought it was about to find itself in a very painful knot. She felt her breathing hitch and 

suddenly her injuries didn't seem so important. Severus was coming; he couldn't save her because he would give away his cover…if it weren't already blown. Her bare feet slid across the cold tile floor as she struggled to get to her feet. She finally realized that Voldemort had placed a spell on her, she couldn't get up, she was stuck to the wall. Suddenly the thought of being hurt, attached to wall with nothing on other than her small dress and watching Severus get hurt didn't seem so appealing. Claire struggled further against the wall to get up until Voldemort shot another spell at her.

"Your attemptss of esscape are quite amussing but for your own good I ssuggessted you ceasse immediately." Voldemort said as her arms and legs were retched together in a binding spell. Claire whimpered as her injured arm was forced the wrong way but clamped her mouth shut tight.

"I would bind your inssufferable mouth ass well but I'm sure Sseveruss will enjoy hearing you sscream."

There was laughter throughout the room as Voldemort's Death Eaters awaited Severus. Suddenly there was a loud crack and every person in the room turned towards its source. Claire was so nervous she felt sick, what were they going to do to him? Could she manage to get out of the bonds to save him? She listened closely and sure enough, the wonderful slow clicking sound of Severus' pointy-toed boots hitting the damp tile floor echoed throughout the chamber. Claire gritted her teeth, this was not good. She listened carefully and heard the sound of his robes sweep the ground as he knelt in front of the bastard.

"My Lord?" He asked coolly, his head bowed.

"You're late Sseveruss." Voldemort sneered.

"I apologize for the… inconvenience, my Lord."

"Apologizing sservess you nothing Sseveruss." Voldemort spat at him. "Crucio!" In a flash, Claire felt the vibrations of Severus withering on the ground in pain. He didn't utter a word but her heart was being crushed into small pieces all the same.

"You ssee Claire? Jusst like him." Voldemort said in triumph.

"Stop it." She whispered under her breath. She couldn't give Severus' cover away by screaming at Voldemort to stop but she couldn't bear even the thought of him in pain. She couldn't hold back a stray tear that leaked out of the corner of her eye.

"Crucio!" The man screamed again and Severus was once again thrown into waves of pain. She heard nothing at first expect for the jeers and taunts form the other Death Eaters but then she faintly heard a small groan.

"S…Stop!" Claire said a little louder, she couldn't deal with this. She listened carefully and faintly heard Severus.

"Shhh." He was saying to her under his breath. Be QUIET? When he was being TORTURED? Was he out of his mind?

Obviously not getting a rise out of the man as he had hoped, Voldemort sent a different spell his way.

"Penitus incendia!" Voldemort spat. Suddenly Severus started coughing violently and without warning the man made a pitiful strangled noise, obviously trying not to scream. Severus continued to make the horrible sound for a few minutes like a wounded animal and Claire couldn't keep the tears away. She knew what the spell was; it set the internal organs on fire until the caster removed it. Pretty soon Claire was crying and couldn't stop, why would the man do something so horrible to his own followers?

"Stop!" Claire finally yelled as Severus started to cough uncontrollably. Voldemort lifted the spell and walked over to where she lay bound and glued against the wall.

"Would you rather I casst the sspell on you?" He asked her, the venom in his voice was toxic.

"Yes." She whispered faintly.

"No." Came a hoarse voice from behind him.

"Sseveruss! You ssurprisse me, would you not enjoy watching her wither before you?" Voldemort asked cruelly.

"No, my Lord I simply wish to advise you that she…has a very irregular system, you could kill her quickly with that spell. I only wish for you to be able to enjoy your time with her a little longer." Severus said smoothly with a hoarse voice and burnt throat.

"Sso you do know her…" Voldemort hissed at him.

"Yes that is…Hermione Granger, unless she has given Dumbledore and the ministry a false identity." Severus replied as calmly as possible.

"Sseveruss, you dissappoint me once again, I thought you were a better liar." Voldemort hissed at him.

"I would never lie to you my Lord." Severus said. Claire listened to the conversation in complete shock, she actually thought Severus was doing a good job at lying but she supposed it wasn't working.

"If that iss sso, and you truly believed thiss to be a Granger, then you will have no isssue with curssing her appropriately sseeing ass you are familiar with her condition?" Voldemort asked slyly. Severus slowly lifted himself off the ground and walked stiffly to where Voldemort stood.

"Go on Sseveruss, do not kill her, or I will be very disspleassed." Voldemort threatened, Severus slowly took out his wand and aimed it at Claire.

'_That's it Severus, play the game, play the game.'_ Claire thought to herself, she hoped to God he would do it, she didn't want to think of the consequences if they found out he was a spy.

Claire felt the wand pointed directly at her chest and prayed he knew the look she had on her face. He had to do it, if he didn't do it she was going to give him an earful if they survived.

"Penitus incendia." Severus said and a jet of purple light escaped his wand and hit Claire directly in the chest.

A\N- Hey guys, thanks for reviewing the whole way through, I would like to announce that my story is nearly complete, I believe there are around six to seven chapters left. I'm sad to admit that I'm starting to lose motivation for this story even though it's almost complete so please submit some more reviews to determine if it's worth finishing. Thx guys, let me know what you think.


	32. The Secret of Pain and Torture

WARNING: This chapter contains language some readers may find offending.

Chapter 32

Curse her? He had to curse her?

Bloody hell.

Stupid sadistic games! Severus suppressed a glower as he snatched his wand from his Death Eater robes. He felt almost every pair of eyes trailing after him, even the Dark Lords red eyes seemed oddly attached to his every move. His onyx eyes shifted over towards Claire, she was still wearing the same red dress with the exception of it being ripped and torn in several places. He observed her more closely and noted her lack of footwear, where had her shoes gone? Her face was flushed and her eyes were bright staring at nothing in particular.

Her bottom lip trembled but only slightly, understandable seeing as she had just witnesses someone being tortured for the first time. The memory of only a few moments ago reminded him of his sore throat and twitching limbs. He hardly noticed he was still hurting; pain was something drilled into the back of his mind. If it was possible, don't think about it. That was how he survived at those meetings.

His eyes snapped back to hers when he noticed her desperate movements. She was squirming, obviously uncomfortable, her arm was bruised and oddly out of shape. What had they done to her before he arrived?

Shit.

He looked her over again and noted how her eyes crinkled, revealing only the slightest pain. Her mouth was set in hard yet determined line as her blue eyes searched desperately around the room.

He stared at her arm, dissecting possible injuries when he came up with two. Her arm was visibly broken and dislocated. Anger boiled in his veins and threatened to overcome him, it was Lucius who caused it no doubt. His chest contracted painfully as he watched her suck her bottom lip in between her teeth and bite down hard. But at the same moment pride swelled in his chest, she was a tough one and it was obvious from the Dark Lords expression that he was tiring of her nonverbal suffering.

He finally realized the people in the room were still staring at him, waiting for his next move. He gripped his wand tighter until his knuckles turned white, should he do this…could he? He had to make a decision, he was either going to curse her and continue the charade or he wasn't…resulting in his and her deaths. Severus' temper was getting the best of him as he tried to push it to the back of his mind. Anger would serve him nothing here, it never had. He felt a bitter resentment as he approached the woman glued the wall.

Damn it all to hell!

Why did this always happen to him? The Dark Lord was watching him expectantly; he looked back at Claire and didn't think he could do it. With all the calm and practice he had gained throughout his years as a spy, he lifted a seemingly determined hand and pointed his wand right at her chest. He gazed at her face; did she have to be so obvious? It wasn't difficult to read between the lines, she was begging him with her eyes to do it. Her mouth was set in a hard line, no longer biting her lower lip. He watched as her fingers curled themselves into fists and the wince of pain resulting from her broken arm. Suddenly a sharp pang hit his chest and his throat contracted, he wanted to help her, to heal her. But he couldn't, or they would both be dead.

His mouth was dry and his hands were clammy, he felt his long black hair stick to his cheek and temple as his lip curled up into a snarl. His decision was made, he had to do it. By the look on her face, she understood and he was eternally grateful to her.

His wand was raised and his eyes set, intently watching the blue ones before him, the ones he had learnt to love. His wand was pointed her way and he watched as her toes curled against the cold damp floor in anticipation.

"Penitus incendia." He snarled and the blast of purple light hit her dead on. He watched transfixed as her body arched in pain but her lips stayed sealed shut. Her eyes were watering, and she exhaled sharply through her nose but still, she remained quiet. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry…_ He must have repeated hundreds of times in his mind as her body jerked unnaturally.

He was in hell, his own personal hell and the Dark Lord had brought him there. He watched with slightly squinted eyes as she continued to twist and exhale loudly through her nose as her lips refused to open and let escape a single exclamation of pain. He wanted to stop, he had to stop but the Dark Lord was still watching. He fixed a look of exasperation upon his features and allowed an air of disdain to envelope his posture as if her attempts at keeping her dignity were rather pitiful and irritating.

"Not much ssport iss sshe?" The Dark Lord asked, his eyes sparked with a fire long absent since his return to power.

"None at all." He tossed out casually as if the small whimpers and tears streaking her face had no effect on him what so ever. They all waited for her begs and please for mercy but when none came, Severus lifted the curse. Claire gasped for air and more tears stained her pale face as she tried to fight away the pain. The entire room was watching them, watching him. He could feel their hard steely stares drilling into the back of his head. Nevertheless, he continued to watch as Claire struggled against her invisible bonds. Every movement of obvious pain she made tore a piece away from his already bleeding heart. How was he ever going to get her out alive? He stared at her as she tried to hide her shame, her pain and shredded dignity. His stomach twisted so horribly he thought he might be sick in that very room but he resisted the urge.

Fight it.

Reverse it.

Use it to your advantage.

He had learnt these three things about torture and pain. He captured Claires eyes with his own and even though she couldn't see him, even though he couldn't perform Legilimency on her he still hoped, deep in his heart that she would understand the message he was trying to send her.

_Fight it._

_Reverse it._

_Use it to your advantage._

He desperately thought the words repeatedly until they held no more meaning to him. She needed to know his secret to keep up their act until he could get her to safety. The thought of her having to endure more torture or worse things were making his stomach churn and his blood run cold, but torture she had to endure.

Suddenly just as he repeated the three steps again in his mind, never breaking contact with her crystal clear blue eyes, she relaxed. The tears left, the twitching stopped and her mouth went slack. She wasn't biting her lip anymore nor was she exhaling loudly through her nose. He continued to stare into the depths of her gaze when the three steps were repeated once again in his mind.

_Fight it._

_Reverse it._

_Use it to your advantage._

But the voice in his head wasn't his. It was hers. She had heard him, but how? How could he hear her? This made no sense what so ever. The contact between their eyes held and so did their mental connection.

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I know."_

Suddenly Severus was plunged back into reality and his connection with her was broken as his black eyes were ripped away from hers.

"Bring him out!" Voldemort shouted, Avery and Nott rushed out of the room only to return moments later supporting a man at least twice Severus' age. He wasn't terribly old, he would probably be as old as his father—if the man were still alive.

The old man's eyes were sunken, blue and black bruises littered his barely clothed body and dark shadows harboured his dark blue eyes. Eyes so familiar, eyes of the clearest blue… Suddenly two and two came together. How could he have been so stupid?

"_Research Samuel Laurel, do not ask for explanations!"_

"…_he's resisting the imperious curse, my Lord…"_

"_A wonderful inventor, created the most remarkable things!"_

"_The man's been missing for over twenty years; some suppose he's dead…"_

"_My father was taken away when I was young, and I never knew my mother…"_

Sentences, pieces of conversations flitted around in his mind. That's why the Dark Lord wanted her, he was going to _motivate_ the old man to do what? To invent something he supposed. He wanted to smack his head repeatedly off something like a house elf that had done its master wrong; he was so blind…so infuriating like his dunderheaded students!

Fuck.

That was the only word good enough to describe his situation. Normally he didn't use foul or uneducated language that composed obscenities but that night he couldn't find a better word. He glanced back at Claire and noticed how she twisted her fingers with agitation. Her father was alive; he had been held hostage for-dear lord- more than twenty years and now he was about to witness his only daughter being tortured. If he weren't in a room full of Death Eaters he would have groaned, the cherry on top of a horrid, blood smeared sundae.

The old man was quite tall, almost as tall as himself. He had long tattered blonde hair turning gray that reached his shoulders. Dirt and dried blood coated the man's exterior; the shreds of clothing he had left were covered in it. He had been serving for many years and didn't even know the man was there, alone in a dark cell somewhere. Suddenly he felt a flood of shame wash over him.

Was her father as blind as she? Maybe he could use that to his advantage, if Claire continued to remind herself of his three steps that guaranteed a less painful way of enduring what was to come; maybe…just maybe he could save the older man some suffering. Was he turning soft? What was all this talk of spearing ones feelings? Since when had he cared? But he did, he didn't know why but he did care. Maybe it was because he was Claire's father? He could only hope the man was blind and wouldn't witness the horrors to come.

He watched as the old man was tossed to the floor, he shakily lifted himself up and looked around the damp cold room until his eyes landed on the woman chained to the wall. Severus watched with a growing sense of terror as the older man's face turned quizzical. The wrinkles around his dirt-smeared eyes tightened as the man squinted at the woman with the dark curly hair and impossible blue eyes. Severus watched with a sinking heart as the quizzical look turned into one of recognition, then horror and the old man promptly passed out. Well, Severus definitely ruled out blindness…

He felt sick; his stomach was squeezed and twisted too tight. The blood running through his veins was cold, making his limbs feel heavy and icy. But he kept it all hidden away with in a mask of indifference and insensitivity so known to him.

"Enervate!" The Dark Lord sneered and Samuel Laurel started to stir. The old man was starting to come around when the Dark Lord sent a crucio towards him. The man shuddered but barely reacted to the spell, well, he had certainly been a captive for quite a while if an unforgivable had barely any effects anymore. He watched with hooded eyes as the old man tried to lift himself off the ground but his muscles failed him and he came crashing down to the ground. It was obvious the man was supposed to have glasses as he was squinting terribly trying to regain focus on the young women against the wall. Severus turned his coal black eyes over to Claire and watched as her eyes flickered over the figure huddled on the floor, her face scrunched in confusion. Severus clicked his jaw deep in thought, was it possible to save her father as well as save their own hides? Suddenly Voldemorts eyes snapped up to his own and he quickly cloaked them of the emotions swirling around in his chest.

"Ssseveruss, I wissh to reward you, for your hard work of coursse." The Dark Lord sneered. His lips suddenly turned up into a snake like smile, full of hidden meaning. "Do you remember that potion you made for me? It workss very well, might I add." He laughed, it sounded horribly dark and full of hidden promise. Severus bowed down low and fingered the white mask between his fingers.

"Your gratitude is most appreciated, my Lord." Severus said clearly. He lifted his eyes to Voldemorts red ones and cleared his mind immediately, he couldn't let a repeat of what had happened the last time the Dark Lord had been able to penetrate his mental walls.

"Sseveruss, I will assk you thiss once, and only once." Voldemort said, his voice low with a serious note to it. Severus inclined his head respectfully and awaited the Dark Lords question.

"Are you loyal to me?" It was a test, not a question. Severus schooled his features and placed the smallest of scowls upon his face.

"I am insulted to be asked such a question of you my Lord, for if you have been put in a situation where you must demand this of me, then I haven't been serving you to your satisfaction."

"You have not ansswered my quesstion!" The Dark Lord spat, it was obvious he was in no mood for small talk.

"Forgive me my Lord; of course I am forever faithful to you." Severus said bowing once again. Urgh, he hated bowing, it was completely ridiculous. He gazed up slowly and met burning red eyes, he didn't seem pleased by his answer, odd, what was he expecting to hear? Suddenly the fire in his eyes died down a little and a slow spreading smile graced his horrid features. Severus heard some snorts and some muffled laughter from behind him, he often felt like he was in Hogwarts as a teenager again when he attended these meetings. He quickly glanced behind him and to his astonishment saw some furious eyes and some sadistic smiles beneath the black hoods that hid their faces. What was going on? There was obviously something horribly wrong…something he didn't know about.

"Very well, Severus. I have a reward for you." Severus glanced back at his 'master' and felt his stomach flip upside down, rewards were normally something he would prefer to do without. He watched as the Dark Lord snapped his fingers and a beautiful vial filled with red liquid appeared in his hand.

"Thiss," The Dark Lord said, dangling the vial close to Severus' face. "iss the very sspecial potion you made for me only a couple of monthss ago. I am giving you the privilege of ussing it on your colleague."

"The whole vial my Lord?" Severus echoed, his voice sounded dead even to his own ears. Was this it? This was his reward? Forcing Claire to drink the entire vial of red liquid that would make her know unimaginable pain? No. There was no way, he had tried only about a teaspoon full and it had him screaming at the top of his lungs when such a result wasn't even produced while under the cruciatus.

"Iss your reward not ssatissfactory?" Voldemort hissed at him.

"Of course it is my Lord, you are most gracious." He said, his voice still sounded off, it sounded far off as if his mind was occupied in an alternate universe, somewhere were things were much simpler than this.

"Go on Ssseveruss, I await her pain." Voldemort hissed at him.

"Yes, my Lord." He said, this time his voice wavered. Severus turned on his heel and headed towards Claire. He watched as she squirmed and wiggled against her bonds, she looked panicked and somewhat distressed.

"Watch, you old fool, lissten asss your daughter begss for mercy." Voldemort whispered to the old man on the floor, his voice filled with malice.

"Severus?" Claire whispered quietly. Her eyes were wide and dark, he could practically hear her heart hammering in her chest.

"Shh, I'm right here." He whispered back, his lips barely moving but somehow he knew she heard him.

"Drink this for me." He whispered to her. His heart contracted so painfully he thought he might have a muggle heart attack. His lungs felt like they were being punctured with small needles, it made it terribly difficult to breath. His hands shook as he knelt before her and slowly pressed the cool vial to her lips. He clenched his teeth against the pain he felt all over his body, what was he about to do to her? The whole vial could possibly have her headed straight for St. Mungo's with a mental disability. He heard her whimper quietly and his throat closed as a lump threatened to form. He hadn't even poured the liquid into her mouth but she knew what was coming, he had told her what his potion would do.

Suddenly a flickering light from the candles that lined the walls reflected off the vial tipped against her lips and made him squint. He looked more carefully at the reflection he saw from the vial of the scene behind him, the Death Eaters were all crowded, each pair of eyes trained on him and what he was about to do. He looked at each one of their faces until they reached Lucius. His eyes were cold steel but what threw him off was the most hideous smile he had ever seen plastered across his normally handsome face. He glanced at each one of them again, why did they all seem so…?

Bastards.

The fucking bastards.

They knew, they all knew. It was all a game; the whole evening was a sick game. Rage swept through him as he realized that he wasn't leaving, not with his life. And nor was he leaving with Claire's. They had known, he wasn't quite sure how long, but they had known he was a traitor. They were going to watch him brutally beat Claire until probable death and then what? They would kill him for betraying them. He had been caught and now he was going to suffer for a very long time.

He was such an idiot, he couldn't believe he had cursed her; he had cursed Claire to prove his loyalties, which had already been determined. HE HAD CURSED HER! HE HAD CURSED THE WOMAN HE LOV—the woman he loved. He felt his temper rising too quick to stop, he wrenched the vial away from Claire's lips and curled his shaking fingers around the fragile glass as Claire's small gasp of surprise hit his ears. Angry tears threatened to over take him but he repressed it as best he could. Ignoring Claire's look of shock and panic he stood up stiffly and watched as all the smirks from the Death Eaters faces disappeared. He turned to face them slowly and with a small movement of his wrist, he threw the vial to the ground and watched as the crystal burst into small pieces. Red boiling liquid flowed freely from its broken glass confines and leaked out onto the cold hard floor.

"How dare you!" Voldemort hissed at him, red eyes on fire once again.

"Forgive me _my Lord," _Severus said, rage dripping from his every word and a sneer plastered onto his face. "but I grow tired of your self-righteous idiocy, and quite frankly, your deluded and inane plans. Find some other fool to scrape and bow before you because I have quite had enough of it." Severus said, his fiercest scowl in place. His anger boiled and pumped through his veins so hard he could barely think, he was going to die anyway but not without a fight.

"My, my Severus." Voldemort said, instead of the overpowering anger he had been sure to see he only saw a deep satisfaction. "You finally speak the truth after so many years; I will miss your devotion…"

"What devotion?" Severus snapped. "I was never loyal to _you_." He spat the last word with disgust.

Angry outbursts came about as Death Eaters from around the room advanced on him. Blood pumped through his ears and he threw his mask to the floor as if the very thought of it disgusted him. It was over, it was all over. He had to tell Claire though, he had to tell her he was sorry and that he lo—loved her. He forced himself to finish the thought before Voldemort wand was pointed directly at his chest.

He whipped out his own wand and mirrored Voldemort's stance.

"Avada kedavra!" Voldemort shouted and the last thing Severus heard was Claire's horrified scream as his world went black.

Hey guys! Really sorry to anyone who got offended by the obscenities, but I find it added just what I needed to this chapter. Only a couple more chapters left guys! Please keep reviewing!!


	33. Samuel Laurel

Chapter 33

"Svrs, cn u hre m? Wke p."

What? What was that noise? His head was pounding louder than it ever had. Severus tried to open his eyes but they stayed glued shut. It felt as if heavy weights had been put on either eyelid as his muscles tried in vain to open them.

"Svrs, cn u hre m?"

What was that awful muffled noise? It rang through his pounding head as his mind tried to process where he was. Wait, was that a voice? It sounded awful, strained or hurried for a reason he couldn't understand.

"Svrs!"

His mouth was dry, he was cold and clammy and he could feel his heart beating slowly in his chest. His ears were ringing but the annoying stream of words simply would not cease!

"Wke p!"

He tried to lift his arms, they wouldn't move. His legs maybe? Severus tried in vain to move his legs, if he were honest with himself he couldn't even feel them. Why did he feel so awful?

"Sevrus, can u her me?"

Could he hear this person?

Bloody hell.

Of course he could! But _they _weren't going to hear anything other than the sound of his very irritated voice if they didn't get out of his quarters! He was in his quarters wasn't he? He tried to open his eyes a second time and found they didn't feel so heavy.

"Severus, please wake up."

Finally something understandable. The voice was still fuzzy and his ears were still ringing but he could make out the sentence.

The voice was female. She sounded upset, she was crying perhaps? But he knew that voice…didn't he? But why would she be in his quarters? Was there an emergency? Suddenly he realized that his body was aching all over. His legs were stiff but he could finally feel one again, his leg wouldn't hurt that much if he were in his bed would it…?

Eyes finally open; Severus looked straight into two giant blue orbs. Tears flowed freely from them and he became aware of two soft hands holding his face.

"Claire?" He croaked out. His voice sounded terrible, what was wrong with him?

"Shh, it's okay, you're okay."

"Wha--?"

"Don't talk, you're fine." Finally, his eyes adjusted to the room around him. Wait, not a room, a cell. Why were they in a cell?! Why wasn't he in his quarters? He realized the floor was cold and damp after shifting his position and having his exposed flesh chill at the touch of the ground beneath him. But he shouldn't be able to feel the floor so high up his arm…

Damn it.

He looked down at his shredded clothes and groaned. Now he remembered. Severus quickly scanned the room and took in his surroundings. The cell was awfully small and the floor looked incrusted with mould and mildew. The smell was awful and there were no windows. Actually, he could barely even see Claire in front of him; the only light was a small torch directly on the outside of the cell.

Light flickering in his eyes, Severus tried to lift himself off the ground only to be pushed back down onto the cold damp floor.

"Don't move Severus, your leg is broken."

He growled at her but felt too light headed for words. His leg wasn't broken was it? Actually, when he thought about it, he still couldn't feel his left leg. It didn't hurt at all, what did she mean it was broken? He felt his stringy, no longer soft, black hair swing in front of his face and spray the grime that had been on the floor against his cheek.

"I've placed a numbing spell on it, but I need to remove it if I'm going to heal your leg."

He wanted to ask her a million and one questions. Why were they in a cell? Why was she in the cell with him? Why wasn't she dead? Why wasn't _he_ dead? Hadn't the Dark Lord shot the killing curse at him…? How did he break his leg? He didn't remember it being broken before the spell was thrown at him. As if seeing the questions bouncing around his head Claire put a finger to his lips.

"I can explain later, we don't have much time so try not to scream ok?" she whispered at him hurriedly.

Try not to scream…?

"What the hell!?" He yelled out as his leg was suddenly throbbing horribly with wave after wave of pain.

"Shut up!" She hissed at him and placed her hand over his mouth. "You can be such a baby." She muttered and placed both her hands firmly on his throbbing leg.

He closed his mouth shut against the pain and rolled his eyes into the back of his skull. He could hear her muttering in a foreign language, which he soon recognized to be Latin. Little, by little the pain lessened from his leg and he was able to sit up properly when she finished. He was about to begin his questions again when she suddenly went limp and fell into his arms.

"Wandless magic takes quite a bit out of a girl." She admitted sheepishly as she tried to push herself back up. Severus held her tight so she couldn't lift herself off of him and he took a moment to reassure himself that she was ok.

"Severus, I'm fine, you can let go of—"He stopped the flow of words from escaping her as he placed his lips gently on hers. His surroundings melted around him as he realized she was safe, they might be in a cell but they were in a cell together. She pushed off of him gently, he broke away from her grudgingly and slightly irked that he couldn't have his moment with her.

"Heh hem" She coughed lightly and her cheeks flushed a dark shade of red. He looked at her quizzically then glanced in the direction her eyes had landed.

Alone in a dark corner, sat a tall lanky man with long stringy grey and blonde hair. His deep blue eyes were piercing as he gazed at the pair lying against the wall opposite to him.

"Uh… Severus, this is Samuel." She said, her voice a little higher than usual, it still sounded strained.

"Are you hurt still?" He asked her completely ignoring the older man in the corner.

"Severus you're being rude." She said , this time her eye lids fluttered dangerously and her voice was fainter.

"Claire, are you hurt?" He asked her more feverenlty. He could tell by the slight tremble to her frame that something was wrong.

"What's wrong with her?" He demanded the old man in the corner; his eyes flashing dangerously, Severus pinned the man with a hard glare.

"She didn't want to use the last of her magical stores on herself…she must really care for you." Samuel said, his voice sounded odd, it was scratchy like sand paper, probably the result of twenty some odd years in solitude.

Severus was speechless, wandless magic was hard enough when you were healthy; it took a great chunk of energy out of your system. But when you were hurt yourself… the job became ten times harder. And she had wasted the last of her energy healing his broken leg instead of healing her still broken arm or her twisted ankle.

"Foolish girl." He whispered angrily in her ear, while gripping her tight to his chest.

"I'm not foolish Severus, you are, what were you thinking talking back to Voldemort like that?" She said to him. It was obvious she was still trying to maintain consciousness.

"Claire, they already knew. I suppose they had known for awhile that I was a spy, it was about time I got to… express myself, it was quite satisfying really." He said with a small smirk playing across his lips.

"Oh…Well, then I'm still mad at you for coming in the first place." She huffed tiredly.

"Claire that's unreasonable, you--"

" Am capable of handling myself thank you very mu—" She said insulted.

"Clearly." He said and raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Severus, tell me."

"No."

"You are so frustrating!"

"No, you—"

Loud coughing cut Severus off; both of them glanced in the older man's direction and noticed his raised eyebrow.

"You are in the bowels of hell and you fight over such nonsense?" He asked them.

Severus didn't say anything, he didn't really want to. He was in the worst place imaginable and yet, he would rather fight with the woman in his arms rather than think about where he was.

\\\\\

Despite her arguing with him, Claire nestled against his warmth, or what was left of it. The man was half-naked and –she lifted a hand and felt her dress- so was she. Suddenly she felt her cheeks flame up in embarrassment and she buried her face in Severus' chest. He pulled his arms around her and held her tight while she shivered.

She knew Samuel was watching, she couldn't call him 'dad' yet, she had just met the man. Severus had been out for several hours, and it had given them time to talk. Claire closed her eyes tight, she listened to Severus' soft breathing as she let her pain fade away and let her memories resurface.

_Severus was standing in front of Voldemort his wand raised ready to attack. Telling by the ground vibrations, Voldemort was standing only feet away from him. _

"_Avada kadavra!" Voldemort spat and she felt the power surge forward, what could she do but scream? And that's exactly what she did. She screamed as if she were being burnt alive, as if her whole life was falling apart in front of her and it was._

_She awaited the inevitable thump of a body hitting the floor. And she heard it, the sound of limbs, torso and finally head hitting the ground with a sickening 'thud.' But just as she was about to scream until her __lungs burst out of her chest or before she cried until the chamber was flooded she realized that Severus had fallen to early. If she wasn't going crazy, which she probably was, from the time it took Voldemort to send the curse… Severus should have fallen a few seconds later then he did._

"_Who dared do that?" Voldemorts deadly cold voice hissed from his position. _

_She was right._

_There was silence in the room, no one spoke. Claire tried to quieten her sobs as her mind processed what had just happened._

"_You, old man, are going to regret that." Voldemort hissed, venom evident in his voice. _

_What? _

_What had he done?_

"_Although," This time Voldemorts tone was less aggressive, "You jusst gained my Death Eaterss ssome time for their …repayment. You have prevented me from making a terrible misstake out of anger old man." _

_Laughter came about the group of Death Eater, Claire heard some crack their knuckles menacingly and others reach for their wands. _

"_Throw them all in a cell, don't worry about sseparating them. And DO NOT harm them on the way…there will plenty of time for that." The snake man said putting his wand back in his black robes. _

_Suddenly Claire was being dragged up by her arm and forced to walk forward. Was he dead? Or was he ok? What was going on? Nothing made sense to her as she continued walking bare foot on the cold tile floor. Claire snapped her head backwards and listened for Severus, the most she got was a dragging noise. She was breathing rapidly again, they were going to a cell? And he had said to keep them together, thank Merlin, she was going to be able to make sure he was alright. She was getting farther and farther away from the main room and just before she was out of ear shot she heard Voldemorts voice once again._

"_Luciuss, I believe I have some unfinisshed bussinesss with you."_

_The Death Eater holding her dug his nails into her skin. She tried to act as if it didn't hurt but couldn't hold back much when she was suddenly tossed into a cold wet room. _

"_We'll be seeing you later." The Death Eater said and laughed. His voice was very low; it was lower than Severus' but lacked the honey sweet texture and the velvety slickness to it. She felt two bodies thrown in beside her, one was moving and the other…was not. She immediately turned to the one that wasn't moving and ran her fingers threw long silky hair. _

_She ran her fingertips over his eyelids and down his cheeks. There was still heat in them, she checked his pulse and bent down to check his breathing._

"_He's alive." Came a gruff voice from behind her. Claire spun around quickly and tried to lift Severus up onto her lap._

"_H-how do you know?" Came her trembling reply._

"_Because I saved him."_

"_How?" She demanded, but her voice held no authority._

"_My dear, I have lived, no, existed her for quite a while and have developed a small talent with wandless magic."_

"_But how did you…" She trailed off as she moved Severus' head onto her lap._

"_Are you familiar with the spell stupefy?" He asked her_

"_Of course." she said indignantly. _

"_Well then you have your answer." The man said in a monotone voice. _

"_So you stupefied him before the curse hit him, rendering him unconscious." She stated, beginning to understand._

"_Thus causing him to miss the spell. But unfortunately, I believe he landed on his leg, that may have to be repaired later." He continued for her. _

"_I know some wandless magic, I can do it." Claire said confidently. She moved her hand to touch his leg when she felt a larger and older hand cover hers._

"_Not yet, you may want to wait until he wakes up or your spell will have little effect." _

"…_Alright, but I can put a freezing charm on it, to numb the pain for when he wakes up?"_

"_He will be suffering much worse later, save your energy, you will need it."_

"_I'd rather help him now, we could still find a way to escape, we could--"_

_Suddenly a loud piercing scream echoed through the hallway and into the cell._

"_That's awful." Claire whispered as she covered her ears from what she assumed was Malfoy's cries of pain. _

"_You get used to it." The older man whispered back._

"_Sorry, I didn't catch your name…"_

"_Samuel."_

"_Oh, well then, my name is Claire Laurel. I suppose we can skip the formal greetings."_

_Silence ensured and she wasn't sure whether she had offended him or not. _

"_I simply assumed it was you back in the chamber, you're really here aren't you?"_

"_Samuel?" Claire asked confused, what was he talking about? Claire began stroking Severus' hair repeatedly and fusing over the collar of his shirt. _

"_You've grown up so much, I always wondered if you were still alive."She sensed him crawl over to her and she gripped at Severus tighter, had this man lost his mind?_

"_Claire, it's me, you don't recognize my voice do you?"_

"_No, I'm sorry mister…?"_

"_Laurel, Samuel Laurel."_

_Claire couldn't speak, she knew her father's name had been Samuel but she had never imagined he would still be alive, let alone captive for more than twenty years! _

"_Dad?" She whispered, caught between hoping it was him so she could finally meet her father and hoping it wasn't for the man before her couldn't possibly be sane after years and years of torture. _

"_My God, you look exactly like your mother."_

_Claire couldn't talk, she couldn't even breathe, it was him. She reached out a hand carefully with trembling fingers and touched rough crinkled skin. She closed her eyes trying to fight tears of happiness and of horror. And suddenly it came to her. She remembered being five years old; she was touching her dads face just as she was doing at the moment. Trying to remember forever what it was like to see. _

_A strong bridge and a small nose, wide cheekbones, thin lips, almond shaped eyes and an oval shaped face. _

"_I remember you." She said slowly and she felt him bend forward and place a kiss on her forehead._

"_My baby." He whispered back to her and laid his head against hers for a moment. When he pulled away she inhaled deeply and tried to fight away her tears. She continued to stroke Severus' hair and rub his cheek, hoping he would wake up soon. _

"_We have much to catch up on and all the time in the world." He said, the man's voice was starting to sound more familiar every time he spoke._

"_Tell me about…well, tell me about your life." He said to her. _

_\\\\\\\_

It had been a week and Albus was panicking. He had heard nothing, not even a peep out of Severus. He didn't know whether they were alive or dead, tortured or simply playing along as spy and captive. He had ordered Severus not to go when the young man was summoned but he stubbornly refused not to go. Albus gazed with exhausted and sunken blue eyes out the window from his office. It was a beautiful day out, the whomping willow swayed gently in the breeze, the grass was littered with the remains of snow but the grass underneath began to shine with a healthy green shade.

Albus gently rested his hand under his chin and leaned his head on it for support. Was this it for his spy? His young teacher, friend and son? This man was simply going to die alongside a woman who had taught him the meaning of love once again? He smoothly ran his finger tips over his parched and cracked lips as he thought. It had been the longest week he had ever lived through. Maps were strewn across his giant desk, quills littered the floor and many papers were scrunched into small balls, the result of frustration and less than acceptable ideas.

He couldn't find them, he couldn't find the location and he had everyone of the ministry aurors out on the lookout. Fudge had accepted his plea for help when his potions master and defence teacher had gone missing. Of course, he left out the bit about Voldemort; Merlin only knew the man would be less than willing to find his teachers less he found out. And that's where he sat, Albus Dumbledore, in his office with his head leaned against his hand and his eyes trained on the ground before him while the maps lay untouched at his desk. It wasn't the time to be poring over useless maps of Europe trying to find a hidden location, it wasn't the time to find strategies to get them out, it was time to think. Time to reflect upon Tom Riddle, to figure out the way his mind worked, to dissect him in every possible way for a hint, or a clue as to where on earth the man could possibly have his hide out.

Albus' mind was working furiously as he calculated and brought up many memories of the young cunning boy who had once walked in the very school he was headmaster of. He continued to gaze out his window when two small figures darted out of the school and headed down towards the lake. Albus' glasses flashed as he leaned closer to get a better view of the students. Albus' eyes crinkled as he squinted towards the children running at full speed down the hill.

\\\\\\\

"Come on Harry! Look what I've found." Neville cried out as he hurried down the hill, tripping over his robes.

"Neville, Slow down!" Harry gasped as he hurried down Hogwarts ground after the scrawny black haired boy.

"Do you remember the rumours about Snape?" Neville asked him panting.

"Oh, you mean the ones about him kidnapping Professor Laurel and taking her to Voldemort?"

"Yeah that one."

"What about it?" Harry asked off handily.

"Well, do you think it's true?" Neville asked, a questioning glance thrown over his shoulder at Harry.

"It could be, knowing Snape and all." Harry said, a crease forming on his brow.

"Well Dumbledore said they would both be away for a bit because of personal business but didn't Seamus say he saw Snape dragging her against her will over here somewhere?"

"Yeah, but you know Seamus, he's full of hot air sometimes." Harry said carefully, the boys had slowed to a trot down the hill and had soon passed a solitary tree next to the lake. It was a weekend so the boys were both dressed casually in muggle jeans and warm burgundy sweaters. The wind blew gently across the land bringing with it a chill of cold air. The boys shivered involuntarily, their arms folding to their shoulders in a weak attempt to keep warm.

"So what have you found Neville?"

"Over here, hold on…I'm not sure where it is anymore." Harry smacked his head gently, leave it to Neville to get him all riled up about something and then kill his excitement and curiosity by forgetting where the object had gone.

"Ok, well, what is it?"

"It's a ring, its gold with emeralds on it." Neville said, teeth chattering.

"Is that it, you found a ring? What so important about that?" Harry asked.

"Wait until you see it Harry, then you'll understand what I'm thinking."

The boys split up and looked around the perimeter. They each bent down to their knees in search of a small golden ring. Harry felt the bit of snow that was left on the ground seep through his jeans and he shivered violently. His fingers ran through the soft new grass that was growing but captured nothing other dirt and fallen brown leaves. Patches of snow and grass littered the floor making it almost impossible to distinguish any small object.

Finally, Harry's hands brushed across something cool. Green eyes glanced down at the grass beneath him to a small golden ring, emeralds glittering in the sunlight.

"Hey Neville! Over here!"

"You found it?"

"I think so." Harry shouted back and lifted himself off his knees. He fingered the small ring in between both his hands but didn't find anything unique about it.

"Neville, it's just a ring."

"No, I swear there was something special about it…"

Harry continued to finger the ring until the light poking out between the clouds sparkled off the emeralds. Harry looked closer and a small eye appeared in the center of it. Harry continued to stare at it and it blinked, His eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise.

"Neville, it's a snake's eye."

"See? I knew it was something important. "

"Do you know what it is?" Harry asked him while tossing the ring up in the air and catching it.

"I don't know but do you think it's a clue to where Professor Laurel went to?"  
Harry didn't answer, instead he looked at it carefully. Then he closed his eyes and simply felt the object.

"Harry? W-what are you doing?" Neville asked him.

"Do you remember what Professor Laurel said about feeling magical objects?" Neville nodded his head and Harry continued probing the object between his fingers.

"What are you looking for?" Neville whispered as if he were scared of braking Harry's concentration.

A frown creased between the boy's eyes as he fingered the object more thoroughly.

"I'm not looking Neville, I'm feeling, don't you remember that lesson?"

"Yeah, but I never really understood what she was talking about." Neville said quietly and Harry had to suppress a grin when he flashed a quick look at Neville's pink cheeks. Suddenly Harry felt small shocks of electricity run through his fingers.

"Well, it's definitely magical; I don't think it's cursed though."

"Can I see it?" Harry handed it over to Neville and watched as he closed his eyes and toyed with the ring.

"Maybe it's meant to be… a charm of some sort?"

"What do you feel Neville?"

"Well, I can feel the magic at my fingertips but there's something else to… like a tugging feeling."

"Maybe it's a port key?"

Both boys looked at each other excitedly, could it really be that simple? All they would have to do was say the correct password and they could save their teacher! Right?

"Maybe we should go get Professor Dumbledore?" Neville suggested nervously.

"Neville! Come on, you know what Dumbledore would do?"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh." Neville said sounding embarrassed. "But Harry, I don't think we should be going alone…" He said

"It's ok Neville, I'll go alone."

"No, Harry you can't go by yourself!"

"We'll I'm not going to sit around while my teacher gets tortured!" Harry said defensively, green eyes flashing dangerously.

"I'm coming to." Neville said and puffed out his chest.

"No, Neville you can't—"

"I'm tired of people telling me I can't do it, I can do it, I-I'll do it for her." Neville said and held out the ring for Harry to touch.

"What do you think the password is?" Neville asked glancing at the golden ring in between both their hands.

"Well, it's a snake eye right? And it's Voldemort so maybe it's in parseltongue?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, but Snape doesn't speak it so he wouldn't be able to activate it would he?" Neville asked looking at Harry quizzically. Their hair whipped in their faces as the wind picked up. The sun was gone and the clouds were dark and heavy.

"Okay here it goes --"

"Wait!" Neville cried and wrenched it out of Harrys hands. Harry looked at Neville from underneath his circle shaped black glances and cocked his head to the side.

"What?"

"Umm, well don't you think that maybe, well you know…seeing a-as were going to be around you-know-who…we should have your dads cloak?"

Harry simply stared at the other boy for just a moment before he reached under his burgundy sweater and removed a long flowing cloak.

"Brilliant" Neville said and placed the ring back where Harry could reach it. Harry quickly draped the cloak around their shoulders and left it hanging where it didn't quite cover their shoes. He touched the end of the ring and took a deep breath.

"Ready?" He asked the shaking boy in front of him. Neville only gulped in reply.

"_Voldemort"_ Harry hissed.

Nothing

"_Tom"_

Nothing

"_Riddle"_

Still nothing

Harry huffed in annoyance as he glared at the small ring. Maybe it wasn't a port key after all?

"Umm, Harry?"

"What?"

"H-have you tried… Salazar?" Neville said barely above a whisper.

"_Salazar" _Harry hissed_, _the boys eyes met, they managed to take one last breath before a familiar tugging behind their naval jolted them forward.

Hey guys! Sorry again for the wait but I'm getting really busy again, Thanks to every one who keeps reviewing it's helping me continue! Tell me what you think ;)


	34. McNair and Dolohov

Chapter 34

She didn't know how long it had been, days, weeks, months perhaps? There was no concept of time where she was, there was only pain. It had been a while since Claire had been able to use any wandless magic. The Death Eaters had noticed that their injuries from the tortures they received didn't last as long as expected. They quickly put up charms so that their attempts to heal themselves were pointless. The only thing that was seemingly going right, was that they hadn't separated Severus or her father from her. She had wondered why for many days and had finally asked the question, both men answered her at the same time.

"They keep us together to make it worse when they separate us."

She didn't want to believe it, she didn't want to think that they would be separated when they had gotten so close. Severus and her father were both sporting broken bones as well as various cuts and bruises. She herself…well, she wasn't much better off. She was worried about Severus, seeing as he was the traitor, he got the worst of the punishments.

They would come in every so often and take one of them away.

They would torture that person for hours only to throw them back into the same dark, damp cell they had been staying in.

She had tried and failed not to cry whenever she woke up and realized she wasn't at home and she wasn't safe. She didn't think Severus slept at all. When she wasn't sleeping, which was most of the time, she noticed he simply sat and held her, not speaking. He seemed to be barely breathing and she feared he had lost hope of escape. She on the other hand, still clung on to the belief that there was a way.

"Severus?" She called out and felt his cold hand close around her shoulder and pull her tight to him.

He didn't say anything, he hadn't said much in the last couple of days and she feared he was in worse pain then he was letting on. She leaned in to him carefully and felt him shudder so she lifted herself up to give him room but he pulled her back to him.

"There must be a way out." She whispered to him quietly. She felt him shake his head slowly and she couldn't stop a stray tear from streaking down her face.

"Severus, don't lose hope like that!" She said, her voice louder than it had been for days.

"If there were a way out, don't you think I would have found it by now?" He said to her, his voice was lifeless. It was barely above a whisper and held no emotion.

"Severus, maybe if we just—"

"No." The one syllable word rang through the cell and had Claire pulling away from him. What did he mean 'no'? He wasn't even going to try? But it seemed as though she wasn't going to get anywhere with him, even Samuel had barked at her persistence at finding a way out. He had insisted that if he had been there for more than twenty years there was no way she was going to find a way out while only being captured for a week.

She was now once again lying against Severus, there was no point in being angry with him. There was no heat in the room, their clothes hung on loosely providing no comfort or warmth. Her bare feet hurt, they felt cracked and sore but that was the least of her problems. She could feel grim under her fingernails but paid them no attention. Claire slowly pulled her hand through her tangled and dirt encrusted hair when her fingers caught on a particularly difficult knot. She tried to tug her fingers past it but couldn't seem to get her hair to untwined itself. She finally pulled extra hard for good luck when the knot suddenly came loose. The force of her hand still in action from the unexpected easing of her hair hit Severus in the chest. He started coughing and groaned as he clutched at his ribs.

"Severus! I'm so sorry, are you hurt?"Claire asked while letting her hands roam over his chest. He pushed her away roughly and held his ribs tighter.

"It's fine-cough- just -cough- a little- cough- bruised." Severus said in between clenched teeth.

"It's not fine, let me take a look." Without waiting for Severus to answer, she removed the remainder of his shredded clothes away from his chest.

"Claire, it's -cough- fine!" He barked at her and tried to push her hands away. Claire, however, would have none of it. She moved her fingers gently across his ribs and struggled to gain a good mental image of what condition they were in. She moved her fingers softly over every bump at his side, feeling the difference in height and placement of each one. His ribs seemed tender and didn't feel to healthy. She pressed a little harder and he gasped.

"Sorry." She whispered and proceeded more gently.

"Let me see." Samuel said from his corner of the cell and approached. Claire heard his bare feet slap against the damp floor as he drew nearer.

"That's fine Samuel, I've got it." Claire said in a clear clipped voice. Did even her own father believe her to be incompetent?

"Let the old man see it." Severus hissed.

"I beg your pardon?" Samuels low gravelly voice shot back.

"Boys! It's fine, I've got it." Claire said and continued prodding Severus' ribs.

"Ugh!-cough- Watch what you're -cough- doing!" Severus tried to move away but Claire held him tight to her.

"Stop moving Severus! You've definitely got something wrong here…" Claire said running her hands softly over the roughened skin. Suddenly Severus' breathes started coming in shallow gasps. He started wheezing and his chest wasn't rising to its full potential.

"Severus?" Claire asked in a slightly panicked voice. She quickly knelt up on her bruised and scared knees to sweep the tangles of messy hair away from his face.

"I—I'm f…fine." Severus wheezed out and covered his mouth as his body racked with violent coughs. Claire stroked his hair and his face trying to sooth him.

"Samuel? What's wrong with him, I didn't hit him that hard I swear!" Claire said, her voice rising with the panic she felt burning in her chest. She pulled Severus' head against her but he pulled off of her.

"Give him some room, it seems as though he was hurt worse than he was leading us to believe." They both watched in silent contemplation as Severus tried to regain his composure and failed. Claire quickly crawled back over to him and placed a soft hand on his ribs. This time she moved her fingers in small circles and recoiled immediately. Where she had been rubbing small circles, the bones were shifting and making sickening cracking noises when her motions bent them in an unnatural way. She heard him groan and she, herself, felt sick. It seemed as though two or more of his ribs were broken on her side alone, she didn't' want to think about the other side of him.

"Severus, why didn't you tell me?"

"What good would it have done?" He snapped at her and continued to try to breathe deeply. She felt him close his eyes with a shuddering breath and realized the worst must have happened; his broken rib must have punctured his lung. Claire's breath caught in her throat as she tried to remain calm; if his lung was punctured, it was probably filling with blood at that very moment. She ran her hands over her face and into her hair, what was there to do? He needed a Healer, or at least some sort of medical treatment. They all did.

Suddenly at that very moment, the door swung open and by reflex, Claire quickly grabbed onto Severus and pulled him behind her.

"It's the traitors turn." Came a slippery, slick voice from the doorway. Claire turned her head in either direction trying to capture the location of the speaker. She heard high-heeled boots clack against the floor and halt right in front of her. Claire's breath hitched as she tried to pull Severus farther behind her. She faintly registered his continued wheezing when a hand grabbed her arm roughly and yanked her aside.

"Leave him alone!" She yelled at him without even realizing the volume of her voice.

"Mind your manners! You should know your place by now." Lucius snarled at her and pushed her aside once again. Claire grasped the man's robes and pulled him down with all her strength. Unfortunately , in her current state, Claire barely managed to make the Death Eater stumble.

"How dare you?" Lucius snarled and the next thing Claire knew she had a stinging pain on her left cheek. The man's hand was about to come down a second time, she was sure, but when it didn't come she shifted herself over. Claire's stomach was in knots as she realized what had happened. She felt a body in front of her and a spark in the air that changed the mood in the room. It was tense and finally she grasped the image of Severus holding Lucius' wrist as it threatened to come down on her again. Fresh tears sprung in her eyes as she tried to stand up and cover Severus' body with her own once again. He was in no condition to be playing hero.

"Please." She begged her voice scratchy and raw.

"Please, he isn't well, he needs a Healer." She begged Lucius, the idea was ludicrous…her, begging and pleading with Malfoy?

As if to prove her point, Severus started once again in a coughing fit that racked his whole frame. Severus had let go of Lucius' hand to cover his mouth as he coughed into his fist.

Claire felt a small amount of indecision rolling off the man but it didn't last long.

"Traitor's deserve to die." He snarled and grabbed Severus' upper arm.

"No!" Claire screamed and tried to reach for Severus but Samuel held her back. Claire listened with silent tears as Severus was dragged from the room.

"No, no, no." She cried softly and Samuel held her close. Her cradled her head in the crook of his arm and patted her head softly.

"He'll be fine, he's a strong lad that one." He crooned softly to her, trying to quieten her sobs.

"H-he isn't w-well."She cried into his shoulder and couldn't contain her anguish any longer. She cried until a piercing scream hit her ears. Her heart twisted with so much agony she would have gladly killed herself on the spot. She grabbed her ears and would have pulled them off, were she strong enough. It was too much hearing him scream…he had never screamed before. The cries of pain continued for more than a couple hours and Claire sobbed her heart out. She couldn't handle that noise, if she ever heard it again she didn't know what she would do.

Finally, it seemed as though they had stopped torturing him for the cries had ceased. The only problem was…they hadn't returned him.

"Samuel?" She whispered softly through her sore throat and burning eyes.

"What?" He answered just as quietly.

"W-why isn't he back yet?" She asked him in a trembling voice. During the hours Severus had been absent she had managed to pull some of her hair out. She let it fall limply to the ground and refocused her attention on Samuel, not really wishing to hear the answer.

"He isn't dead." He reassured her quietly.

"How do you know?" She asked quickly leaning on her toes to hear him.

"Because they would have come in to announce it to you. Knowing he is dead would bring you more pain, thus the source of their enjoyment." Samuel said flatly.

"Oh." She replied softly but inside her heart felt light and airy, she knew she was being selfish by hoping he was still alive but she couldn't help it. She was being selfish because any normal human being would rather the other die rather than endure that kind of torture for weeks to come. But she couldn't help the feeling of immense elation when Samuel revealed this information.

\\\\\\

Harry fell to the ground and hit it hard. He gently pushed himself off of his knees and froze on the spot. Did he still have the invisibility cloak on? Where was Neville? Had they been caught already? Harry moved his hand only to find another.

"Neville?" He whispered and the boy next to him on the floor grunted and sat up. It seemed as though the cloak was still draped over the both of them.

"Yeah." He whispered just as quietly. Carefully and very slowly, the boys lifted themselves off the ground and took in their surroundings.

Harry's green eyes flashed behind his glasses as he glanced around an enormous hall. The walls as well as the floor were covered in stone. It was damp so Harry simply assumed they were underground, it was a possibility. The only light around them was the dim flickering of few torches lining the walls. There was a throne at the very front of the room sporting green, black and silver trim. Fortunately – Harry let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding- they were alone.

"Wow! Look at the size of this place." Neville said and his voice echoed around the walls. Harry quietly clapped a hand over the other boy's mouth just as two Death Eaters entered the room. Neville groaned and Harry pushed on his friends mouth harder.

"Who's there?" One of them shouted and Harry gazed in horror at their black robes and gaunt faces.

"Be quiet." Harry ordered as quietly as if he had only breathed the words. He let up on Neville's mouth when the boys breathe became laboured.

They both watched in fascinated horror as the two Death Eaters brought out their wands and quietly muttered 'lumos'. Their wand tips glowed bright against the dark, damp walls of the giant rectangle like room.

"Show yourself!" One of them shouted and advanced, taking one step at a time towards the center of the giant room.

"Do you think one of them is Snape?" Neville whispered. The boys were in a far corner therefore far from the Death Eaters who had entered on the opposite end of the room.

Harry squinted and dared move a step closer but stopped mid-step.

"No…" The boy said quietly still analysing the two men. "One has long brown hair…not black."

"And the other?" Neville breathed.

"Well, the other one has black hair but it's way too short to be Snape's." Harry continued eyeing the Death Eaters as they approached.

"Homenum revelio." One cried and a sick green light shot out of his wand.

"There's someone here!" One of them yelled out in triumph. Harry's mouth opened and his breath quickened, they had been caught already? He could feel Neville begin to panic behind him and grabbed his friends arm to reassure him.

"Just keep quiet." He ordered extremely quietly.

"Show yourself!"The one with the short black hair called as a precaution. Neville trembled at his side and he grasped his arm more firmly. If they could just reach the entranceway behind the Death Eaters…

"Harry, do you think we should stun them?" Neville asked from behind him.

"I'm not sure…wouldn't that attract too much attention?" Harry whispered back.

"Reveal yourself and we might kill you quickly." The one with the long brown hair said threateningly, Harry watched through the fabric of his cloak as the man's lip curled into a smirk.

Neville gulped but Harry pulled him along very quietly so as not to attract unwanted attention. At first Neville was sluggish with fear and nerves but quickly sped up as Harry moved along. Their backs were crouched so their feet wouldn't show up out of nowhere from under the cloak as they walked along the walls farthest from the pair of Death Eaters.

They're backs against the wall, the two boys carefully slid along the cold stone towards the only exit from the giant room.

"Are you sure there's someone in here?" They heard one Death Eater call out uncertainly followed by a swift smack as the other Death Eater clacked him off the head.

"Of course you dunce! Didn't you see me my wand? It was glowing green for a reason." The man argued. The boys slipped across the room seemingly unnoticed until the Death Eaters retreated towards the exit they needed to make their escape through.

"How are we going to get by?" Neville asked.

"Just slip past them, it won't be hard." Harry said trying to sooth Neville's fears. With Harry's confidence at the ease of their task, Neville seemed to gain more momentum. The boys were almost at the exit but the Death Eaters were blocking their way.

"Just follow me." Harry whispered and quickened his pace silently. He took out his wand and held it tight to his chest. Making sure that Neville was right behind him and not slipping from under the protection of the cloak, he slipped past the first Death Eater unnoticed. Reassuring himself that Neville would be fine, he continued in the hopes that the other boy would follow quickly. Harry held his breath and whipped sweat off his brow as he continued past the two bodies blocking the exit. He was so close to slipping past the second Death Eater when Neville's foot caught on one of the man's boot. They all went tumbling down and the cloak was ripped from their heads.

"Potter!" One hollered and a large hand suddenly grasped Harry's hair harshly.

"Let go of him!"Neville cried just as Harry gasped from the pain on his scalp. Harry's glasses went askew as he was raised off his feet and into the air, several inches above where his toes could reach the ground.

"Stupefy!" Neville cried out and suddenly Harry hit the ground hard. Harry whirled around just in time to see the Death Eater with the long brown hair raise his wand and aim it straight at Neville's chest.

"Avada-"

"Stupefy!" Harry cried out and a jet of red light shot out his wand and sent the other Death Eater hurtling towards the ground.

"Let's go!" Harry said hurriedly. He grabbed the cloak quickly and pulled Neville out of the room. He quickly draped the cloak over the pair of them and they continued down a dark hallway with almost no light. Harry could feel his heart hammering madly in his chest as his confidence in their rescue mission started to diminish. What were they going to do next? What if they met Snape on the way? Suddenly Harry felt extremely childish and stupid…what was he thinking? He had rushed into danger head first, without a plan, without a means of escape, they had no strategy and worst of all…Neville had come along. Could he forgive himself if anything were to happen to him?

Harry suddenly came to a stop and turned to face Neville. He was about to speak before he noticed that the other boy was still shaking. He put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him but he wasn't really feeling any better.

"Neville, if anything happens…I'm sorry."

"For what?" For the moment, it seemed as though his friend had forgotten his fear.

"For dragging you along."

"You didn't drag me," Neville said, it seemed as though his pride was hurt, " I was willing to come!" He said with new confidence.

"Come on, she has to be somewhere around here…" Neville suddenly took the lead and Harry was left to catch up with him while still under the cloak. Harry's brow was knitted into a frown as he contemplated an escape plan. He doubted any of the Death Eaters knew they were there seeing as they had used a port key designed to that specific place… he was sure it wouldn't set off an alarm if Voldemort had been expecting it to come. He thought of Professor Laurel…she was probably hurt and scared to death. Suddenly anger boiled in his veins, as he thought about Snape…was this all really his fault? He knew the man was evil from the start but no one would listen!

They had been wandering for hours, the place was huge! There was no sign of a cell anywhere; maybe…maybe Professor Laurel hadn't been captured at all? Suddenly shame washed through him as he contemplated his actions without actually having any proof that his Professor had been taken at all.

Suddenly Neville stopped dead in his tracks. Harry's frown turned into raised eyebrows as he nearly bumped into the taller boy in front of him.

"What is it Neville?" Harry whispered moving his hands onto Neville's shoulder so he could get a better look at what was in front of them.

"There's a double cell coming up." He whispered back.

"Is it empty?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure; y-you want to take a closer l-look?" Neville asked with a trembling voice. The boys moved closer quietly but it seemed as though Neville was reluctant to step foot near the cell so Harry took up the front and peered cautiously into the first one.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"No one's in there." He announced and Neville came up close behind him.

"H-harry?"

"Yeah." He answered searching around the corridor for an indicator of more cells.

"Are those…bones?" He asked and Harry looked back into the cell. Sure enough, there was a small pile of bones big enough to be human. Harry winced and Neville trembled but they both continued until they were feet from the next cell.

Harry stopped short when he heard a groaning sound from the second cell. He quickly quietened Neville and advanced forward with caution. Harry peeked into it cautiously even though the person held captive would not see him due to his cloak. Harry's jaw almost dropped to the floor at what he saw. His potions Professor was huddled in a corner, blood dripping from most areas of his exposed flesh. His hair was greasier then ever and dirtier then he had ever seen it. He definitely didn't look well, he was even paler than usual and his eyes were dull and glazed over. He heard Neville gasped behind him and assumed that he had just peeked over his shoulder to see into the cell.

"Professor." Harry whispered. He got no answer in return so he advanced closer to the bars.

"Professor!" He said a little more loudly. Snape's head lolled to the side and his brows knitted into a frown. Harry could barely stand to look at the man for no familiar sneer twisted his lips and no scowl haunted his eyes. He merely looked exhausted, he seemed to be in severe pain and he looked somewhat defeated. But wasn't he the one who captured Professor Laurel? If it wasn't him then…

Harry quickly pulled off the invisibility cloak, ignoring Neville's protest and leaned up against the bars of the cell.

"Potter!" Snape exclaimed and he looked so completely shocked that he didn't have time to conceal it behind a mask of indifference.

"Professor, what happened?" Harry demanded, he would have called him Snape, but considering the man's condition, he didn't want to add being disrespectful to the mix.

"What are you doing here?" The man seemed near hysterics, this didn't seem to unusual considering the circumstances.

"I asked a question first Professor." Harry said calmly. Neville suddenly appeared at his shouler looking nervous.

"Get out of here!" He said, suddenly their old professor was back. Snape was snarling and glaring at the pair of them.

"Professor, we came to help, just tell us what happened!"

"No!" He snarled at the pair and suddenly starting coughing harshly.

"Please Professor, we aren't leaving without you or professor Laurel." Neville pitched in even though he looked terrified just talking to the man. They both watched as Snape grunted and lifted a hand to rub his temples, leaving behind bloody smears on his face, not that there weren't any before…

"I have a potions lab in here… if I give you directions; I have some healing potions that I will need if I'm going to be going anywhere. I don't believe either of you are competent enough as to find these certain ones but fortunately for you two idiots, the room works on command. Walk in and demand what you are looking for and it will present itself in front of you. "Snape gave them the directions to the lab in detail so they wouldn't get lost.

Harry ignored the insults and focused on what his professor was saying.

"Do not, get caught, because if the Dark Lord doesn't skin you alive then I will." Here he directed a hard glare at the both of them and Neville gulped. The dim light in the hall and cell made it difficult to see their professor but the glare was unmistakable.

Harry stood up from his crouch and prepared to haul the cloak back over them before Snape seemed to hesitate on something.

"Potter, there is something else I need you to grab… it's a rare plant that grows in a small pot on a desk closest to the door. If, and I repeat, IF you have time I would be…_grateful_… if you were to retrieve it for me." Snape sneered at the two of them with whatever strength he had left before the boys flung the cloak over their heads and preceded down the hall and up some a few flights of stairs.

Snape had said it was the first black door to their right as soon as they hit the next floor. Harry huffed as he reached the last step; it definitely was a challenge getting up all those stairs. Whomever thought that the people who played Quidditch were fit were royally mistaking, the reality was that flying around with your arse glued to a broomstick didn't take that much effort.

They had slipped by a couple of Death Eaters unnoticed but when he thought about it, Harry realized that leaving the two stunned bodies on the ground in the giant entrance room probably wasn't the brightest idea.

It didn't take the boys long to find the correct door, it was a deep black with snakes entwined on its hinges. The boys opened the door quietly and slipped in, surprised that it wasn't locked.

"Maybe, they need access to it frequently so they just decide to leave it unlocked…?" Neville suggested after a while.

"Maybe, but I'm just glad it's not." Harry whispered back and took off the cloak after shutting the giant black doors behind them. The lab was gigantic with shelves upon shelves of potions. Harry almost lost his nerve when Neville spoke up.

"Healing potions." He said loud and clear. The room seemed to spin and after a moment, the shelves began to rattle and nine or ten different coloured vials flew towards the two boys in the room.

"Wicked." Harry breathed but Neville was already storing some in his pockets.

"Come on Harry, I have a bad feeling about being in here." Neville said rushing him out the door.

"Wait, Snape asked me to get a plant of some sort." Harry protested and glanced at the desk nearest to the door. There was a single plant growing in a small pot sheltered by a warm bubble of light. Why Snape wanted that plant was incomprehensible to the two students but Harry reached over and poked his fingers through the bubble. Warmth touched the tips of his fingers as he snagged the plant from its comfortable bubble. Harry held the small plant up to his emerald eyes and studied it with a slight frown on his face.

"Harry, let's go!" Neville said nervously, one look at the boy who seemed about ready to dash out of the room with or without him set his feet in motion. Harry stumbled over to the giant black doors where Neville stood waiting with the cloak high in the air and covered them completely before leaving.

The pair quickly exited the room and closed the thick door behind them; they turned around and stopped dead in their tracks. Five Death Eaters were standing directly in front of them with their arms crossed and their faces twisted with rage. Their black cloaks billowed almost as well as Snape's and their glares were just as real. They had barely enough time to glance at each other's surprised faces before the five Death Eaters advanced on them. Harry's heartbeat quickened until he believed it would bang right out of his chest and land on the floor in front the men in black. Could they see them through the invisibility cloak?

Neville had paled considerably but when the five men were only inches from touching them they shouted.

"You three!" One of them called and Harry spun around in time to see three Death Eaters run in behind himself and Neville.

"The Dark Lord says there's been a breach! Check all the halls." The one directly in front of Harry yelled at the three behind them. Harry glanced backwards and watched as the three Death Eaters retreaded back the way they came and headed down the hallway until they disappeared. Harry's heart began to slow as he finally realized that no one had seen them, it was foolish of him to think they could have seen Neville and himself under the invisibility cloak.

They were about to run for it when the five Death Eaters turned to face each other.

"There's been a breach? Says who?" One of them called.

"Says the Dark Lord you idiot!" Another one shouted.

"That's impossible, how would they find us?"

"Does it matter? Come on, let's go search the cells."

"They found McNair and Dolohov in the entrance way, they've both been stunned." Harry overheard two of the retreating Death Eaters whisper to each other.

"Oh man, Harry, we should have hid them." Neville whispered, his voice sluggish from the adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

A/N- Hey guys! Whew! another chapter done, I know I'm taking a long time and I'm really sorry but it's getting closer to the end of May and my exams and what not are comming so I'm trying to fit my story into my scheduale. Thank you so much for those who keep reviewing it always makes my day :) Please let me know what you think.


	35. Your Wand, Potter

Chapter 35

Severus waited anxiously by himself, the cell was small and damp just like the others but it held a certain hope that he was pretty sure had never existed within the small space. He was outraged that the idiot boys had even come but he couldn't hold back the small tinge of gratitude he felt as the boys departed with such enthusiasm and determination. However, this meant nothing for house points, the boys would simply lose some for their pigheadedness.

Suddenly his stomach growled painfully but he ignored it, there was much more to think about than food. He was extremely sore all over and he was having trouble breathing, he could have told Claire his ribs were broken before she started poking and prodding him but he didn't want to worry her. There was a chance he may still live if the boys managed to get the right healing potions to him and if they got there on time… which was unlikely, proven by their lack of promptness when attending his classes.

Severus smiled at the memory of abashing his two students and taking off house points whenever they were late for class. He missed those days already, it was very stress reliving at times to degrade people with egos the size of England, such as famous Potter.

He tried to hold in a cough as two Death Eaters walked past his cell, he didn't want to call attention to himself. It hurt painfully to hold his breath and he feared he wouldn't be able to suck in some air again once he stopped trying so hard to continue breathing. However, to his immense relief he was able to draw in a large breath of air that stung the inside of his chest. His other broken bones didn't seem to matter much as his burning chest preoccupied his mind. Then another thought flitted across his overcrowded thoughts. What of the boys? They weren't back and he had sent them off over half an hour before. It really wasn't that difficult to find, he had given them simple directions had he not? So simply even one of the Death Eaters could find it…unfortunately, that was saying a lot.

Severus suddenly had a very strong urge to shave his head because his long stringy black hair was sticking to his face once again. It was chilly in the cell so he wondered why he was perspiring until he noticed that his fists were balled at his sides. He quickly unclenched them but didn't know if they had been pressed together so hard because of his injuries or because of the worry that meant the boys weren't back yet.

Many would believe that their absence would have no effect on him, even that he would wish for their disappearance but that wasn't the case. His job was to protect his students, even if said students were in Gryffindor.

His eyes started getting heavy; it felt as if large weights had been placed over his eyelids. Was this it then? He was going to die in a bloody small cell, captive at the very place he had been spying in for the most part of his life? Just before he felt like giving in, a pair of blank blue eyes stared at him behind his eyelids. Claire… how long had it been since he talked to her, saw her or touched her?

Too long.

Was she ok? What if she needed him at that very moment and all he could do was depend upon the spawn of James Potter and lie in a stupid cell, wallowing in self-pity. He thought about her for a minute, was she worth living for? Or should he just let go, after all, he had tried to redeem himself. He could always have Potter get her and her father out safely… No, he knew he had one last gift to give her, even if he had to die trying. The plant Potter was bringing back from the laboratory was very important, and it hadn't even occurred to him until a couple of moments ago. It was the perfect ingredient, something he hadn't thought of before while experimenting in his labs. It was the final ingredient to Claire's gift, if only he had enough bloody time to make it! Severus huffed to himself and tried to turn but the pain in his side prevented any kind of movement.

"Psst." Severus looked around and saw nothing.

"Psst, Professor!" Annoyed, Severus swung his head around gingerly and scanned the front of the bars, but again found nothing.

"Potter!" He barked quietly, "Quit your foolish games and remove that cloak at once!"

Two heads suddenly appeared out of thin air, bobbing around with excitement.

"We got them Sn-Professor." Potter exclaimed and opened the cloak farther to reveal many small vials glinting in the torch light.

"Will you cease your jabbering and pass them to me." He snarled at the black haired boy in front of him. He watched as Potters young face crumpled into one of distaste and he smirked, why should he care if Potter was angry? Longbottom, behind the boy, was pale and his eyes shifted from spot to spot down the corridor.

"Longbottom!" He snapped and the boys eyes carefully snapped to the dark man sitting in the exact same position he had been in when they left him.

"Y-yes Professor?" The boy said, still frozen on the spot with his eyes shifting back to the corridor.

Severus sighed in exasperation. "What have you done this time?" He snarled as his gaze also drifted towards the corridor.

"There's no one there!" A voice shouted down from the hall.

"Keep looking! There a sneaky bunch if they've gotten past us!" Another Death Eater shouted as footsteps accompanied the voices down the hall.

Longbottom jumped as the sound of their approaching footsteps echoed off the walls. He grabbed Potters arm in a pathetic attempt to shield himself.

"What have you done?" Severus hissed at the pair. Potters anger disappeared and was replaced with a look of fear, but only for a moment. His green eyes flashed in the dim light and he pulled out his wand.

"Idiot boy! Put that thing away and put the cloak back on!" Severus said with a tinge of panic to his voice. He began to cough; the excitement and anxiety settled in his chest had caused a shortage of breath to his already damaged lungs. He watched through half lidded eyes as Potter gazed at him with slight concern; trust Potter to pretend like he cared. How typical.

The boys quickly replaced the cloak over their heads as three Death Eaters walked down the hallway. They stopped to glance in Severus' cell and kept on going.

"Potter, hand me those vials!" Severus said hurriedly and, out of thin air, came ten small vials sliding across the floor at him. He gingerly picked them up one by one and –careful not to move his injured body- he scrutinized each label. He felt the tingling sensation of being watched and turned his head to see two curious eyes staring at him from the opening of the cloak. Severus rolled his eyes and looked closely at the labels. He selected two out of the ten, uncorked them and drank them quickly. He felt warmth spread through his body and a soothing heat settle in his aching muscles.

Then his bones went cold, ice cold.

He wanted to scream but nothing came out of his mouth other than the sound of his chattering teeth. His comfort of only moments ago disappeared and was replaced with an ache that threatened to overcome his body. Severus tried to repress the agony by reminding himself that that specific healing potion was meant to heal within seconds, so it was bound to be painful but he had had enough of pain. He had been in pain for the past few days and all he wanted to do was go home and sleep it off.

After a few more seconds of pain, the relief started to set in. He felt his body shudder involuntarily as his broken bones set themselves into place and his open wounds resealed themselves. His wounds weren't all healed but the second potion he took would numb the pain so he wouldn't notice until a couple of hours, he wanted to save the rest for Claire and her father.

Setting the vials on the ground, he stood up to his full height and stretched his arms and legs out as far as they would go. He heard a couple of satisfying pops before resettling his hands on his hips to glare threateningly at the two boys on the other side of the bars. They looked at him with slightly open mouths but shut them quickly as he advanced menacingly towards the end of the cell. Severus gripped the bars on either side of him and leaned his forehead against the cool metal.

"Are you hurt?" He asked in a neutral tone while guarding his eyes.

"What?" Potter asked looking completely baffled.

"I asked if you were hurt." Severus said through gritted teeth, he was trying to be calm but Potter was pushing his luck. He didn't want the boys injured or it would hinder their escape.

"…No." Potter said hesitantly with suspicion written all over his face. Severus rolled his eyes the boy's insolence. He shifted his eyes over to Longbottom and was about to ask the boy the same question when Longbottom's eyes suddenly shifted to the floor and a faint reddish hew graced his cheeks.

"I-I'm fine s-sir." He stuttered out.

"Good." Severus huffed and suddenly reached his hand through the bars, palm up.

"Your wand, Potter." Severus said and crooked his index finger impatiently.

The look of pure shock on Potters face was priceless.

"What for?" Potter asked, still in shock.

"Oh, I suppose the famous Potter would know exactly how to get me out of a magically sealed cell in the middle of the Dark Lords secret hide out. Forgive me for underestimating your superior skill." Severus drawled sarcastically.

He watched in slight amazement as Longbottoms lip quirked into a repressed smile. Potter was still glaring at him and he wished he could just strangle the child.

"Do you want to be caught by the Dark Lord any time soon? If not I suggest you hand me your wand." Severus hissed at the boy and he watched as Potter grudgingly placed the smooth wooden stick into the palm of his hand.

"Stand aside." Severus drawled and both boys moved to the right of the small cell.

"Repairo." Severus murmured and his shredded clothes automatically sewed themselves together. He turned with renewed strength and even though Potters wand didn't work as well as his own, it would still do.

"Reducto." Severus called out and the bars of his cell flew off their hinges and crashed into the wall behind. There really was no special way to do it, and unfortunately no quiet way either. Severus quickly gathered up the remaining vials and headed out of the smoke covered entry. He heard the boys coughing in front of him and he quickly ushered them forward.

"Hey! I could have done that myself!" Potter whined and held out his hand for his wand back. Severus simply smirked at him and kept walking.

"Snape! Give me my wand back! Is this a trap?" Potter yelled quite loudly. Severus wheeled around and pointed Potters wand against his neck. He leaned his face close enough to Potters and whispered threateningly in his ear.

"If this were a trap, Potter, you would be dead by now." He sneered; he watched as Potter gulped quietly and he turned swiftly to stalk down the hallway.

"We are going to be ambushed in about a minute. Stay behind me, do _not_ shoot any spells and do not call attention to yourselves. On second thought, stay under the cloak." Severus said hurriedly. He didn't bother glancing back to see whether they had been listening to him or not.

"Potter, did you grab the plant?" Severus asked roughly, as he jogged down the hallway.

"Yes." Potter snapped.

"Yes what Potter? We may not be at school but may I remind you that you are in my presence and are currently without a wand?"

"Yes, sir." Potter said through gritted teeth. A few moments later there were swirls of black from all around, Severus barely had time to glimpse Potter and Longbottom drape the cloak around them when the first curse was fired.

"Conjunctivitis!" Severus yelled out and the Death Eater in front of him dropped his wand in a desperate attempt to regain his eyesight.

"Stupefy!" He heard from behind him, he was about to dodge when he realised that the spell had come from thin air. He was going to kill those boys.

"Avada kadavra!" One of the Death Eaters shouted out, the spell was aimed for him but unbeknown to the Death Eater, it was about to hit the two cloaked figures in front of him. Severus quickly grabbed where he desperately hoped their collars were and yanked them out of the way, being just able to dodge the curse himself.

Another chorus of stupefy was heard from thin air and two more Death Eaters dropped to the ground. There was only one left and before either person could attack, he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

"Idiots! Did I not ask you _not_ to fire any spells! You were almost MURDERED! Does that mean anything to either or you?!" Severus barked at the pair. He felt foolish, for if anyone else were in the hallway at the moment they would assume he was yelling at himself or no one in particular. Two heads slowly appeared from beneath the cloak to look at him sheepishly.

"Potter give Longbottom his wand back." Severus ordered and turned to continue down the hall.

"How did he know I took it?" He heard Potter whisper to the other boy as they walked along the corridor.

"Because Longbottom doesn't have a back bone, now come along before more of them show up!" Severus hissed at the pair and started off at a trot down the hall.

The boys glanced at each other and followed their potions master.

Severus was getting lost, he had travelled these corridors many times before but he had been unconscious when they had dropped them off in the cell. He wasn't sure which one she was in. Their journey through the many damp and dim halls was silent. The boys didn't talk and Severus was thanking the Gods, his patience were running out, he didn't know if he could stand their chatter.

Severus was about to continue straight down the hallway when the tunnel to his left caught his attention. He didn't know what it was, maybe he had heard a sound but his feet drew him down the left corridor. He continued walking until he heard hushed voices. He couldn't make them out but excitement and adrenaline were pumping through his veins. She was so close, he could hold her again, keep her safe and they could leave this place together with their lives.

"Shh, there coming back." He heard the sweetest softest voice in the history of magic whisper to her father. He felt his heart thud loudly in his chest as his fingers twitched, wishing they could hold her again.

He finally reached the cell and peered inside. Samuel looked at him in shock and Claire stared wide eyed around her, not being able to tell who was there.

"Claire." He whispered and her reaction was immediate.

"Severus!" She cried and threw herself at the bars, she reached out to him and he gladly took her hands in his own.

"Where were you? Where did they take you? A-are y-you alright? H-how did you get o-out?" She finished in a sob of relief. She clung to him as if he was about to die but he let her. She deserved to feel safe, she deserved to feel happy and hope that they would escape with their lives.

"Heh-hem" He heard from behind, he ignored Potter, he didn't care what the little brat thought.

"I need you to stand back ok?" He whispered to her and let go of her hands. He watched as her bottom lip quivered as she released him. Samuel pulled her out of the way and pushed her gently against a cold wall.

Severus raised Potters wand and once again used the blasting curse to send the bars crashing against the opposite wall.

"Why can't he use Alohomora?" Longbottom whispered from behind while covering his ears.

"Because there isn't a lock on it, you can only unlock something if you have something that is locked." He sneered but the boys noticed that his sneer wasn't as powerful as it could have been.

"Neville?" Claire asked as she emerged from the smoky room.

"Professor Laurel! We knew you'd be here." Longbottom stated and rushed over to her. Much to Severus' distaste, she hugged the boy and reached for Potter as well. Once she had finally unleashed the brats she walked up to him and slipped her arms around his waist. She leaned her face up to his own and kissed him softly on the lips. Severus' eyelids fluttered and he pulled her tight against him when she gasped.

"Claire? Where are you hurt? I have some potions for you, here." He handed her three of the small potions vials, these would heal her a little better than he had healed himself. He watched as she ran her fingers over the tops of them and then opened them to take a drink. Once Severus was reassured that she had taken all three he handed three to Samuel and stored the last two for emergency only.

Severus pulled Claire back to his side and quickly ran his fingertips over her body, assuring himself that she was alright.

"Severus, S-stop it! You're t-tickling me!" Claire giggled and pushed away from him.

"Shouldn't we be leaving right about now?" Potter asked with a furrowed brow.

"For once in your miserable life Potter, I believe you are right." Severus stated and helped them off towards an exit.

They started out at a slow pace until shouts were heard down some of the corridors. They hurried there steps until every entrance held loud footsteps.

"They've cornered us!" Longbottom said frightfully.

"If only I had my bracelet!" Claire growled fiercely. Severus glanced at her, her eyes were no longer dull but full of life and her cheeks were flushed with health rather than deathly pale.

"You mean this one?" Neville asked in a whisper as he pulled out a long silver cylinder out of his cloak. The shouts were becoming louder and they had nowhere to run. Severus and Longbottom were the only ones with wands, they didn't stand a chance.

"Where did you get that?" Potter whispered to the other boy.

"I found it in the lab, I suppose they forgot it there." Neville said and shrugged. Suddenly from three entranceways came five to seven Death Eaters in each and the five of them were stuck in the middle. They quickly made a circle around Potter and Longbottom, Severus Claire and Samuel each faced an entrance. Severus watched out of the corner of his eye as Neville quietly slipped Claire's bracelet into her hand.

"Rose" He heard Claire murmur as quietly as possible just as the Death Eaters all pointed their wands at them. Severus felt a blast of air pass over his face and dared to hope it was Claire's wand.

"Cover your eyes!" Claire shouted.

Suddenly, without even knowing what was going on, there was an extremely bright light all around. Severus tried to block out the light but it burned his eyes. He heard some people shouting and screaming but as soon as it had appeared, it was gone. Severus blinked several times and soon the corridors came into focus, there were no more Death Eaters standing, they were all unconscious.

Severus whipped around and saw Claire, wand in the air with triumph in her eyes.

"Let's get out of here!" Samuel called out and the five ran full tilt, Severus in the lead, towards the exit. Severus found a wall that was the separation between the inside and the outside of the building. He quickly flicked his wand and the wall melted before their eyes.

They heard more angry shouts behind them, Severus ushered the two boys out first then Claire and then Samuel. He was the last out before he heard that last thing he wanted to hear.

"The Dark Lord is coming! You can't escape him!" Shouted the Death Eaters behind him. Anxiety grasped his stomach as he tried not to picture what was in store for them if they were caught.

He jumped through the hole and his feet hit soil. He let the cool breeze brush across his face for just a moment before he quickly followed behind the retreating black figures before him. They finally reached a clearing, the moonlight shone brightly through the tress that they were resting on to catch their breath.

"How do we get back?" Potter asked, still taking large gulps of air.

"Well how did you get here in the first place, son?" Samuel asked him and lifted himself off of the tree next to the boy. Severus watched as Potter lifted a small green ring out of his robe pocket and handed it over to Samuel.

"Ah yes the port key, I invented this you know, it wasn't too long ago actually, the Death Eaters had me make it for them to—"

"Dad, maybe another time?" Claire asked, it was obvious she was anxious to get as far away as possible.

"Well, all I meant to say was that you can relocate this port keys direction without going through the complicated process of doing so. You can even activate it without the ministry all over your back! Genius isn't it?" Samuel finished proudly and smirked at her.

"So, you're saying we can relocate this to take us back to Hogwarts without actually setting it up?"

"Yup, you've got the concept."

"OK let's go!" Potter yelled out in excitement.

"Well, ok, just hold on a minute…I'm trying to remember how." Samuel said and rubbed his wrinkled forehead.

"You mean to say, you've invented something that could possibly save our lives at this very moment… and you can't remember how it works?" Severus drawled unenthused.

"It's difficult to remember these things when you're under the imperious curse, my boy." Samuel answered calmly turning the green studded ring around in the palm of his hand.

Suddenly a large black cloud formed in the distance, covering the moons rays.

"That's him." Severus whispered. At that very moment, Potter doubled over and grabbed his scar.

"Harry? Harry! Are you alright?" Longbottom asked in concern. Severus felt Claire grasp his hand firmly, he turned to look at her and she simply stared ahead, her jaw set and her eyes hard.

Potter continued to gasp in pain as the dark cloud drew nearer.

"I've got it!" Samuel declared triumphantly and turned the green crystal clockwise one time. The ring glowed a faint yellow and started to vibrate in the old man's hands.

"Everybody grab hold!" Samuel declared. Four more pairs of hands added themselves to the ring and Samuel said the final word that would take them home.

"Safety." Severus felt the familiar tug behind his navel as his world went spinning away only to be replaced the most beautiful place he had ever seen.

Hogwarts.

A/N- Hey guys! I really hate exams, they take up all my story time. Anyway I really hope you all enjoyed, please leave me some more reviews I really need the encouragement to finish this, thx again guys!


	36. A Choice

Chapter 36

Severus came stumbling on the ground with relief gushing from his heart. He breathed in the fresh scent of air and let the tingle of a cold nights breeze wash over him. He looked around quickly and studied the two boys he grudgingly owed a debt to. They were lifting themselves off the ground, their knees wobbling and grasping at each other for support. He quickly glanced over and watched as the old man lifted himself off the floor shakily, crying tears of relief. How long had it been since the man had seen such a sight or breathed in the night air, even fresh air at all? Severus felt a twist of pity for the man deep in his gut but pushed it aside as he searched for the person that mattered to him the most.

As soon as he spotted her, Severus forced his numb legs over to where Claire sat toying with the grass between her fingers. Her bright blue eyes sparkled dimly in the cloudy sky over head. Silent tears of joy streaked their way down her pale almost angelic face. Severus knelt before her and carefully brushed the dark brown curls away from her face and whipped her tears away gently with the tip of his finger. He cupped her face gently and tilted it until he could see into her vacant dark eyes.

"Would you like to sit around all night in the mud or would you like to come inside for a cup of tea?" Severus sneered at her playfully. Fresh tears started in her eyes and she nodded her head vigorously. Severus carefully lifted her into his arms and she immediately pushed him back firmly.

"I can walk fine on my -hiccup- on my own!" Claire protested and pushed against his chest. Severus held on to her like a stone, not budging even when she threatened him with magic.

"Your body needs rest, keep still." He murmured to her calmly as she continued to push against him.

"I'm fine." She said through her tears. Severus was incredibly irritable and impatient but he held his temper for her, he knew she was tired as well. Suddenly an idea struck him and he tucked her head under his chin. She immediately quit fighting and sighed loudly.

"Severus, don't do that I'm going to fall asleep." She whispered against him. Severus smirked and continued his path towards the castle with Samuel, Potter and Longbottom staring after him.

\\\\\\\

It had been several weeks since the 'incident', the temporary healing potions Severus had used from his lab in the Dark Lords mansion had indeed healed their wounds for the time being but the three adults had been on lockdown in the Hospital wing. All the adults, that is, except for Severus. He had snuck out of the Hospital wing having done it many times before. Claire had begged him to save her from the bitch from hell that was Madam Pomfrey but he solidly refused, telling her she "needed the rest."

She had refused to talk to him after that.

Severus claimed he was spending time taking care of Satina but in reality, he was brewing a very special potion for Claire. He had already tried and failed many times to produce such a special potion for her but he thought he might have found the answer when he asked Potter to fetch the plant for him. The plant he had was rare, it couldn't be found anywhere in England. He had hiked over to South America to find it. It had magical properties that restored life into a small area of human cells. Severus wasn't sure whether it would work or not but he desperately hoped he was right to assume that Claire's eyes would be a small enough area in which he could revive the optical nerve. He had no way of knowing whether the arrangement was permanent or not but he prayed –yes prayed- that it would serve its purpose. 

Severus watched the lime green potion turn a dark shade of blue as he added shredded leaves from the plant. It bubbled madly and threatened to over boil but Severus remained focused as he continued to stir the potion three times clockwise. Small beads of sweat trickled down his face and his neck as the intoxicating smell of the potion simmered in front of him. Hot vapours arose out of the thick black cauldron and the small bubbles of compressed air popped as Severus continued to stir the potion in the required direction.

After several minutes of revising his work and scribbling down reaction times and numerous variables, Severus declared the potion fit to simmer for ten minutes before being tended to once more. With a casual flick of his wand, Severus reduced the flames to mere embers and swept his long black cloak over his shoulders. He had intended on visiting Claire in the hospital wing even though she, at the moment, was completely ignoring him. Severus slipped a small vial containing a minimal amount of his new potion into his pocket to gauge the reaction it would have to room temperature. He took two steps towards the doors to his personal chambers and was about to open the door when there came a resounding knock from the other side.

Eyebrow raised, Severus opened the door with a casual sneer plastered upon his face.

"May I help you…" Severus shifted his eyes several centimetres towards the ground before realizing that it was merely a child at his door. Expecting Albus or Minerva Severus was mildly surprised to see glossy and slicked back blonde hair several inches below him.

"Draco? I trust there is a reason for your unexpected visit?" Severus drawled mildly, it wasn't much of a surprise to see Draco at his door, he almost expected it.

"I-I needed to talk to you Professor." Draco's voice wavered as he silently asked permission to enter. Severus grunted but held the door open for the younger man. Draco walked over to the center of the room and glanced at the simmering black cauldron. Draco had already been in Severus' personal quarters, but only because he came with Lucius.

"Now," Severus said as he closed the door with a soft click behind him, "let's get this over with shall we?" his voice held no room for argument with a tinge of uncertainty. He knew what was coming, he only hoped he could dissuade Draco from what he was about to do.

"Well you see Professor; I have a job to do." Draco started, his voice wavering; Severus' eyes flickered to the boy's right hand and noticed the thin piece of fragile looking wood it held. Draco was pale, deathly pale and his blue eyes shone bright but uncertain. He knew what was coming but decided to play it out and see how it went, it was inevitable after all.

"Go on Draco." Severus said smoothly and sat down in the armchair closest to him. His wand was in his rob pocket and he could reach it quickly and curse Malfoy's pants off before the child even realized he was in deep shit. As he suspected, Draco lifted his arm lightning fast but with a shaking hand and pointed his wand directly at him.

"I think you already know what it is." Draco continued faking coldness to his voice. Severus knew the boy wasn't very fond of him, however, he also knew the boy didn't intend on killing anyone. It was obvious that his father had put him up to it, his initiation into the Death Eater circle.

"Do you think it wise boy, to kill a teacher in Hogwarts?" Severus drawled unenthused and unmoved.

"This isn't a joke Snape!" Draco suddenly shouted, it was obvious the boy was close to hysterics.

"Of course it isn't, if it were I'd have you in detention." Severus continued and smirked at the young man. Draco simply gaped at him and held his wand tighter.

"You don't think I'll do it." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"It's not a question as to whether you will or will not do it, it's whether you can do it." Severus continued very aware of the wand pointed at his chest.

"I will, and I can." Draco whispered his face a sickly shade of white.

"Are you sure? Then do it." Severus said with his palms up and his eyebrow raised. Draco's wand wavered but he held it still. Ever so slowly, Severus rose from his seat and advanced on Draco.

"Is it worth it Draco? Is it worth your father's pride?" Severus stared down hard at the boy and awaited an answer.

"My fath-my father will be proud of me." Draco replied his lips dry and his eyes frantic.

"Do you remember what Professor Laurel said to you that day you attacked Longbottom?" Severus grabbed hold of the boy's shoulders and shook them slightly. "Do you remember boy?" Draco nodded his head and pursed his lips in a thin line.

"Yes." He whispered.

"Do you want to be looked upon with fear? Do you want to be hated throughout the world all for the pride of your father?" Severus continued his voice rising louder.

"I-I don't know." Draco stuttered frantically. His eyes searched Severus' black ones for an answer only he could give.

"I know how it feels Draco, I've been in your place before but you have a choice!" Severus shook the boy's shoulders harder. Draco suddenly pushed Severus off with surprising strength and brought his wand back up.

"No! I don't have a choice! You don't understand!"Draco shouted, his voice ringing through the quiet underground quarters.

"Stupefy!" Came a voice from the doorway.

"Sectum Sempra!" Draco shouted back towards the doorway. The first spell hit Draco in the chest and the boy crumpled to the ground, the second spell hit its target and left its opponent wounded on the floor.

"Potter!" Severus shouted and rushed over to the bleeding teenager at the foot of the doorway. Potter had one large gash across his chest but it seemed as though the majority of the spell had missed its target.

"What in the name of Merlin were you doing?!" Severus shouted as he magically sealed most of the damage.

"He was pointing his wand at you Professor!" Potter panted frantically as he tried to lift himself off the ground.

"I had it under control you idiot child!" Severus shouted as he rubbed his temple. He was so close! So close to getting Draco to realize that he did have another choice. Potter scrutinized him but the pure confusion in the child's eyes made Severus reconsider taking off house points. Suddenly Potter started to sweat and he turned green.

"Let's get you to the hospital wing Potter." Severus sighed and quickly lifted the child into his arms. Potters cheeks flamed and he avoided his Professor's eyes.

"Umm, S-sir, I can walk fine on my own." Potter stuttered out. Suddenly Severus chuckled darkly.

"What's wrong Potter? Embarrassed? Stop acting like a two year old and deal with it." He sighed and flicked his wand at Draco's limp form. Ropes shot up out of thin air and rapped themselves tightly around the boy.

"Such a pity." He murmured then turned back with Potter in his arms, walked out of the dungeons and headed towards the Hospital wing. As soon as they reached a public area Potter started squirming uneasily again.

"If it bothers you that much Potter, pretend you've been knocked unconscious!" Severus snapped as he carried the boy up the stairs. And that's exactly what Potter did, he lay his head back until it lolled to his side and closed his eyes. The boy was being ridiculous but Severus paid him no mind. He hated to admit it, but ever since the fiasco at the Dark Lords mansion, he was beginning to tolerate Potter more. He didn't seem to be the most spoiled brat in the world and he had come to rescue him and Claire...

"Potter what were you doing in my quarters?" Severus suddenly asked in a harsh tone. He bore his dark eyes into Potters forehead as he asked. Potter lifted an eyelid and looked at his Professor defiantly. That set Severus' teeth on edge, just when he was beginning to tolerate the boy…

Suddenly the resolve in the deep green eyes broke and Potter simply opened his eyes and cocked his head to the side.

"Professor Laurel told me to come and get you." Potter stated calmly. Severus unclenched his teeth and took a deep breath, she wanted to see him? Why? She knew he was coming to see her anyway.

"Potter, I would like to…thank you for grabbing that plant for me, it is very valuable." Severus grit out, he didn't like thanking the spawn of James Potter but he felt it was necessary. Potter glanced at him in complete shock with his mouth slightly open. Severus turned the corner and purposely moved a little too close to the wall. Potter smacked his head of the stone wall and glared hard at Severus.

"Stop gaping Potter, it is not becoming of you." Severus sneered but couldn't hold back a smirk. Suddenly the boy cracked out a lopsided grin. This unnerved Severus greatly.

"You thanked me." Potter laughed and his smile spread across his pale face.

"Grow up Potter." Severus snarled. The rest of the walk to the Hospital was a quiet one.

Once the pair burst through the doors to the Hospital wing Severus dropped Potter unceremoniously onto a bed and hollered for Poppy.

"Poppy! Potter needs attending to once again!" Severus snapped and he scanned the room and noticed the old medi witch leaning over Claire's bed.

"Hey honey." Claire said and attempted to get out of bed when Poppy pushed her back down.

"Honey?" Severus repeated distastefully. He heard Potter snicker behind him and he turned around to glare at the young man. The look on his face made Potter snap his mouth shut quickly. Poppy bustled over to Potter and closed the curtains, distant murmurs and an argument could be heard from behind but it was plain that Poppy was winning. Severus snuck over to where Claire lay and sat down on her bed.

"So what was so important that you had to send for Mister Potter?" Severus demanded and placed his pale fingers over hers.

"This." She whispered and quietly placed her lips against his. Severus smiled against her lips and kissed her back.

"Not in the Hospital wing!" Poppy shouted from behind Potters curtain. Claire giggled and Severus felt his cheeks warm just the slightest bit. She rubbed his arm and moved her hand down his side.

"What's that?" She asked her vacant blue eyes searching where his face was. Her fingers had bumped the small vile of blue potion in his pocket.

"Nothing of importance."

"Have you been working on something new?" Claire asked him quickly, anticipation in her voice. She smiled brightly and awaited the explanation to his newfound potion. Severus cleared his throat and rubbed her arm absent mindly.

"Like I said, nothing of importance. When you are well, I'll share its secret with you."

"I hate surprises." Claire pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Severus chuckled low in her ear.

"Patience my dear." He pointed out and Claire looked slightly put out.

"When can I leave this horrid place?" Claire whimpered. Severus said nothing but pulled her long dark hair into a messy bun at the back of her neck. She let him play with her hair for the time being but she eventually pulled his hands back down and held them carefully.

"When can I leave?" She asked him firmly.

"I'll sneak you out tonight." Severus whispered in her ear. He watched as Claire's blue eyes sparked and her devilish as well as Slytherin streak shone through.

"Shh, you'll give it away." He whispered to her. Claire smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. But as soon as she pulled him in, she gasped and pushed him back as if suddenly realizing something.

"What happened to Harry?" She asked him her face losing some colour.

"I'm fine Professor, ouch, sorry Madam Pomphrey." Potter grumbled.

"There was some trouble with Malfoy earlier today." Severus mentioned.

"What kind of trouble?" Claire's eyes narrowed to slits and her lips pursed tight.

"Nothing, he was just being the usual prick." Potter said from behind the curtain.

"That's enough comment from you, Potter." Severus warned and all was silent. He turned back to look into Claires concerned eyes.

"I dare you to guess." Severus drawled, his black hair swinging in front of his face as he turned to look at her.

"Hmm, Draco was most likely pressured by his father to murder you as well as me, and probably Harry and Neville as well seeing as we escaped. Not to mention Dad." Claire's eyes shifted over into the direction of the last occupied bed in the Hospital wing. Severus looked over and watched Samuels motionless form laying on the bed. Because of his exaggerated stay with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, Poppy had put him under heavy sedation so all his wounds could be fixed. He had been asleep for a couple of weeks.

"Dead on." Severus said without bothering to conceal his contempt. "Malfoy came waltzing in and attempted an action which we all know he was not capable of and then Potter over there decided to play hero once again." Severus said in disgust. There was silence from Potter, one thing Severus could be grateful for.

"Are you hurt?" Claire asked in concern, she began running her fingers over his chest and arms when he caught them.

"Of course not."Severus said, mildly insulted. "You believe a fifteen year old child could wound me?"

"Just making sure." Claire mumbled and kissed the palm of his hand. Severus suddenly stood up and kissed Claire on the forehead, making sure he didn't hurt any of her bruising.

"I shall return tonight to pick you up." He whispered to her quietly so that Poppy wouldn't over hear. He turned around swiftly and headed for the door, he checked on Potter briefly before leaving the Hospital Wing to deal with a certain blonde individual.

A/n- Hey guys! Really really sorry about the delay and I'm sorry it isn't that long of a chapter. I hope you're all still with me! It's almost finished :) Thanks so much for your reviews, helps me all the time! Thx again guys! please keep reviewing!


	37. Through Her Eyes

Chapter 37 

The potion was complete.

It turned out that cooling the potion according to room temperature worked just as well as letting it simmer, there really was no difference. Severus glanced at his black clock on the mantelpiece and bottled up the last of the potion. He was nervous, so nervous that his stomach tangled and knotted into such a mess that he worried he might be sick. He glanced through his strands of stringy black hair towards the sitting blonde boy in the corner. Dark circles of purple underlined the child's exhausted blood shot eyes, and through his tired and worn out body he managed to glare hard at Severus. His mouth was bound tight as well as his wrist and his ankles; there was no way the boy was getting out any time soon.

Severus slipped the small vial into the small interior pocket of his robes. He then walked around the table and gently picked up a small black and silver box. He twirled it in his fingers gently before grasping it firmly and adding it to the vial in his inner pocket. He quickly turned around and tapped the fireplace with his wand. It sputtered and spit out smoke but the flames instantly turned on. He gazed at the swirling red flames and felt his nervousness return, was he sure about what he was about to do? He grasped a hand full of floo powder and threw it into the bright orange flames. They instantly turned green and swirled viciously in a torrent of heat. A moment or two later, just enough time to keep Severus on his toes, Albus walked out of the fireplace, pointy hat first.

"Yes Severus?" Albus asked his light blue eyes sparkling in the younger man's direction. Severus simply stared at the old man and did the one thing he hadn't done for a very, very long time. He let down his walls, and let the old man in. Albus' eyes betrayed his shock, but only for a moment before Severus' mentor and friend carefully pulled his conscious mind into Severus'.

Severus absent mindly twisted his fingers as memory after memory resurfaced. He saw himself at the Death Eater meeting bowing and scraping before the Dark Lord, he saw himself at the valentines dance and when he parted with Claire. Seeing these memories intensified the twisting in his stomach as he reanalyzed the scenes in front of him. He watched himself in his dining room, in that very room, preparing for their dinner when the locket around his neck trembled and spit out a horrified scream. He watched as he stumbled out onto Hogwarts grounds only to find Claire being swept away to the one place she should have never had to go.

He carefully analyzed his entrance, still aware of Albus watching as well, as he entered the Death Eater circle and bluntly refused to curse her. He watched as Samuel was brought into the room and was slightly put out when his memories went black from his lack of consciousness and then as they reappeared with him in a cell. He reviewed the past week with the Death Eaters and then viewed their escape with Potter and Longbottom. He watched as they arrived onto Hogwarts grounds and as he slipped away from the Hospital only to find Draco's wand pointed in his direction. Severus quickly took note of Albus' mental frown and continued viewing his memories. He watched as Potter intervened and then as he carried the boy back into the Hospital wing, one of the boys more permanent placings.

Severus watched as he finished his potion, then walked up to a small store in Diagon Alley, and picked up a tiny silver and black box…

Albus pulled gently and smoothly out of his mind and looked at Severus with a smile that could have split his face in half. Severus scowled at him and turned away but Albus caught his shoulder and spun him back around.

"Thank you Severus, for the privilege." Albus said kindly, referring to Severus' openness with his memories.

"What about the boy?" Severus asked, his voice hard. He didn't want to share his memories with the Headmaster but even though he hated to admit it, at the moment he needed a little encouragement.

"I will see to him." Albus frowned but it was replaced with a kind smile as he glanced upon the blonde boy bound in the corner.

"About, my potion…" Severus began uncertainly. Albus placed a gently hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "It's the best idea of yours yet Severus." He quickly understood the double meaning behind the Headmaster's words as the old man glanced at his inner pocket and onto the small silver and black box as if Severus weren't wearing heavy black robes that shielded it.

"You best get going Severus, it's getting late, don't make her wait forever." Albus smiled kindly at him but his stomach still knotted and twisted with uncertainty. Severus snapped his cloak in place with the small studded bat Claire had given him for Christmas and left his rooms, leaving Draco with the Headmaster. He walked down the hallway but paused and leaned against a wall. Was this the right thing to do? What if the potion went wrong? What-what if she didn't like what she saw in front of her? Severus shoved down the early feelings of rejecting and sank down onto the floor. He permitted himself this luxury because all students were in bed sleeping at that hour, or atleast they should be…

"_Severus, weren't you planning on meeting Claire tonight?"_ Satina slithered around his arm.

"_None of your business, snake." _ Severus said to her mentally. He cradled his head in his hands and took a deep breath.

"_She's getting impatient, by the way, I was just up to see her."_ Satina said, her cool voice like liquid ice on Severus's tired and burning brain.

Severus didn't reply, he was on the verge of simply leaving the castle, never to be seen again. But, he wasn't a coward, all of those years facing the Dark Lord and he couldn't face up to a woman?

How ridiculous.

"_She's waiting."_ Satina voiced one more time before slithering away.

"Pest." Severus muttered under his breath and sat up once again. He wasn't full of confidence but he supposed he had already made the decision, he couldn't back down now.

He continued down the hallway, his black heels clicking against the stone floor. He glanced out the nearest window and noticed with a small amount of satisfaction that the sky revealed the clearest midnight blue and the moon was full. Good, it was perfect.

He finally reached the Hospital Wing and pushed open the door with a quick and silent movement. No one stirred, not even Poppy. He quickly walked over towards Claire's bed, only to find it empty. Where had she gone? Panic struck him as he looked around desperately for her. It was extremely quiet in the dark room. Who was there, or who had been there? The panic mixing with the anxiety he had already didn't bode too well for the potions master. Severus swayed slightly and tried to regain his balance. Suddenly he noticed a dark shape near the back of the Wing. He spun around, wand in hand and aimed straight for the huddled figure.

"Severus! Come here." Relief filed his heart instantly when he heard Claire's hushed voice. He stalked over to her with a scowl in place, who was she to scare him like that? She was huddled over her father and her head was pressed to his chest.

"He was awake a second ago." Claire whispered as she listened to her father's soft breathing. The soft smile on her pale face made Severus' lip twitch unwillingly. Seeing her so happy made him lightheaded, how did one girl hold so much joy, and keep enough for him?

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked silkily in her ear. He smiled in satisfaction as she shivered and turned to meet his waiting hands. She clasped her hands around his tightly and he led her gently out of the Wing. Claire giggled as his tangled black hair swept across her neck.

"Wait!" Claire whispered fiercely. Severus paused and turned back to look at her, he stared into her eyes and his nervousness returned full blast.

"What?" He asked, his tone brisk and harsh.

"Severus, don't use that tone with me! Last time I left with someone I thought was you, I ended up with a Malfoy!" Claire informed him and glared back. Suddenly Severus felt very foolish, of course she would want to reassure herself that it was really him.

"Okay, ask me something only I would know." Severus murmured in her ear. He could tell she wished she hadn't said anything so they could be on their way but he was glad she was taking such precautions.

"Uh, no, the Death Eaters know everything about you. That wouldn't work." Severus watched in amusement as Claire made a face and scratched her head. The silly faces she was making were irritating as well as amusing him, he wanted to curse them off her face, or kiss them off.

"I know." Claire whispered and pushed her hands onto his chest; Severus was mildly shocked but kept his expressions to himself. She ran her fingers along his chest until they reached the collar of his neck and then pulled out the locket.

"Okay, let's go." Claire said confidently.

"You twit, anyone could have stolen that off my body." Severus said coyly, twirling her hair between his fingers.

"Well then it would have to be your dead body wouldn't it?" Claire said softly and pulled a lock of Severus' black hair.

"Absolutely." He whispered in her ear and he felt her cheeks warm against his own. "Let's go." He said and clasped her hand in his once again.

"Where are we going?" Claire asked as they walked through hallways together, Claire's eyes searching around blankly.

"You'll see." Severus replied mildly and continued pulling her along.

"I can't, remember?" Claire said, a weak attempt at humour.

"You shall see, my dear." Severus said in a low voice and opened the giant oak doors to the entrance Hall.

He held the door open for her and watched her slim form walk in front of him onto the grounds. Severus tried to relax, how could a woman make him so weak at the knees? She turned to look at him with large blue eyes and smiled gently.

"Quit staring you insufferable woman." He teased her.

"You technically can't be told to stop staring if you can't even see." Claire retorted and laughed when he walked next to her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Yes, but you are still an insufferable woman." He scowled against her neck.

"And you are a grumpy prick." Claire said through her giggles.

"Watch your mouth witch." Severus growled and tickled her waist.

"M-make m-me!" Claire laughed and tried to brush his hands away.

"That was mature." Severus drawled and rolled his eyes. He suddenly lifted Claire up and over his shoulder. Claire screamed loud enough to wake the castle but continued laughing until her sides ached.

"P-put me down!" Claire screeched and slapped his shoulders repeatedly. Severus ignored her until they reached their tree and he flopped her down on her rear.

"Ouch! Softer landing next time." Claire laughed and snuggled up to him as he sat down beside her.

\\\\\

Claire listened to the sound of Severus' heart as she lay against him. When was the last time they had done this? She exhaled slowly and rubbed his chest. She felt waves of nervousness coming off of him but she couldn't imagine what it could be. He cleared his throat and rested his head on top of hers.

"I-I have a gift for you." Severus said quietly, the teasing gone from his voice.

"Really?" Claire asked against his chest.

"Really." Severus said and pulled something out of his robes. He plopped it in her hands and she quietly played with it between her fingers.

"A vial." Claire said softly still fingering the small object. "Your new potion?" She asked him carefully and felt the excitement start to build in her chest.

"Yes, but I must warn you, it hasn't been tested on anything so if you feel uneasy you must tell me, understood?" Severus said sternly. Claire nodded against him and still felt his uneasiness.

"Well, what does it do?" She asked him as she uncorked it. She felt his breath catch in his throat but he seemed alright in a moment.

"Drink it." Severus said quietly and suddenly Claire was nervous as well.

"Alright." She said and pressed the vial to her lips and drank down the foul tasting potion. Several moments passed and nothing happened. Claire waited and started to feel slightly disappointed when nothing spectacular occurred.

"Severus," Claire said softly. "I don't think it's work—"She was cut off when her eyes started to burn.

"Ow! Severus, what…?" But she couldn't finish her sentence because her eyes started to burn more fiercely. She felt tears of pain slide down her cheeks and she tried to rub them away. She started batting her eyes vigorously but Severus covered her eyes with his cool fingers and pried hers away from her face.

"Severus." She moaned and clawed at the cool hands covering eyes like bandages.

"Shh, it's ok." He whispered into her ear and continued whispering sweet nothings until she ceased clawing at his fingers. Claire continued to whimper in pain until finally after several agonizing minutes the pain stopped.

"Okay?" Severus asked her when her cries of pain ceased. She could tell it broke his heart to see that but she supposed that if he was willing to put her through something like that then the end product must have been worth it. He carefully pulled his fingers away from her eyes but she kept them tight shut, reassuring herself that the pain was over.

"Open your eyes." He whispered to her. Claire slowly opened each eye but gasped in shock and shut them quickly.

"Severus! There's something wrong with them! There's something wrong with my eyes!" Claire cried frantically trying to push off of him. He chuckled in her ear and held her still against him.

'_How dare he think it's funny!'_ She thought in outrage.

"Think again Claire, It's not that there's something wrong with them, it's that there is _no longer_ something wrong with them." Severus whispered to her calmly. Claire froze and stopped fidgeting. No longer something wrong with them? Was he serious? She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly.

She looked around, their was a..a..a lake, her brain supplied and it sparkled….blue! That's what blue was! How she knew this she had no idea.

"It's your mind, you brain is now generating pictures and recognizing colour, as if that part of your brain where a new born child." Severus explained. Suddenly Claire's heart almost jumped out and into her mouth… was it possible? She was going to see the love of her life? She looked around carefully, burning every detail into her mind. She looked down…grass and it was…it was…it was green.

Green, another colour.

She looked down at her self and was amazed, when she saw her hands. She brought them up to eye level and examined them, they were…pale…a pale, peach colour. The detail of her hands amazed her to no end. Happiness filled her heart so much she thought she might explode. Tears of joy started to form in her eyes, blurring her vision, she hated it because now that she could see she didn't want anything to be obscured.

"Claire?" Severus asked, his voice panicked.

"No!" Claire cried and covered her eyes, "Don't come into my line of sight! I'm saving you for last." She said through her muffled sobs. She felt his chest bob up and down as he chuckled silently.

"You are being childish." He told her but she ignored him. She opened her eyes once again and looked around her. The trees…they were beautiful. Long flowing braches of…brown. And more green leaves. She looked straight up and gasped as she gazed upon millions and millions if beautiful twinkling stars.

"Quite the sight is it not?" Severus whispered into her ear. She continued to gaze around the sky until she saw a white glowing orb.

"The moon." He whispered to her once again. Her eyes started to swell with tears once more but she brushed them away harshly.

"I don't think I can handle this." Claire whispered, she was feeling overwhelmed and light headed.

"You're fine; take your time with it." Severus comforted, he placed his hand on her arm and rubbed her gently.

Claire looked over at her arm and watched the pale hand stroke it. She analysed the long delicate fingers and recalled how many times she had imagined them… her imagination couldn't compare. She stared greedily at his hand for what felt like hours and he didn't noticed.

"What are you looking at?" Severus asked suddenly, his hand frozen on the spot. When Claire didn't answer he pulled his hand away and she chased it but stopped when she saw his black chest. She watched in amazement as his chest rose and fell, the black material of his robes rising and falling with it. She placed her hands gently on the soft material and fingered every button on it. He wasn't talking anymore, simply breathing. Claire was exceedingly anxious, she wanted to see him so badly but she wanted to draw out the moment, to stretch it out until she couldn't take one more moment of agony. She was torturing herself but it was so sweet.

She reached up farther and the excitement pooled itself in her stomach, she saw a patch of pale skin as she reached his neck and felt an inexplicable yearning to touch it. So she lifted her hands and felt his Adams apple. It moved as he gulped and she couldn't hold back a smile. She lifted herself higher and felt the rough skin around his chin and his jaw. The skin was still just as pale as ever but she loved it, it reminded her of…a cream colour. She noticed that her hands were a few shades darker than his skin tone but the colour contrast was interesting. She noticed that his breathing was coming quicker then before, so that's why he was so nervous, she knew he had issues with his appearance but how many times did she have to tell him he was beautiful? She reached his thin pink lips and the huge grin that graced her face was to hard to repress. She traced them carefully and then kissed them gently.

"Smile please." She asked him. But she frowned when his lips pressed tight in a thin line.

"Smile you grumpy prick." Claire laughed when she saw the corners of his mouth twitch but her own laugh set him off. He smiled at her joy and she couldn't keep from staring.

"You rotten liar! You don't have crooked teeth!" In fact they were immaculate. Claire smiled her care free smile and kissed him again. She felt his cheeks warm and she kissed those as well. She looked past his jaw and played with his black hair. She admired the way the moonlight shined off of it. She cupped his ears and rubbed them softly, she never imagined how ears could look so complex…

She moved her eyes up to his nose and giggled. She felt him become uncomfortable right away and she traced the contours of it.

"It's perfect." She laughed, "It just suits you so well." She continued to laugh. She felt the tension ease form his body but it was quickly replaced with irritation.

"You and your comments. He muttered. Claire smiled and then finally, after agonizing minutes she lifted her eyes to meet his. Deep pools of black stared at her. Long curly black lashes greeted her but the power of his eyes surprised her. They were so dark and engulfed her in seconds. She could drown in his eyes, they were so intense…

"God you're gorgeous." She murmured and then blushed when she realized what she had said. What surprised her was a dark colour of ..p…pink that graced his cheeks. HE was blushing! Before she could stop it the waterworks started up again and she sobbed into his shirt.

"I can't be that overwhelming." Severus snarled but placed his hand over her head all the same.

"You have no idea Severus. I just wish you could see yourself through my eyes." Claire continued to sob.

"I've tried to see myself through your eyes, it doesn't work for me." Severus admitted softly and continued to rub her hair. Claire continued to cry on his shoulder, pure tears of joy, how could she ever repay him for such an honour?

"T-thank you s-so much." She cried into his shirt, he gingerly patted her on the back and held her close. It was too good to be true and she knew it.

"You deserve it more than any other." Severus whispered to her.

"I l-love you so much." She whispered and couldn't let him go. He had given her the greatest gift she could have ever asked for. He simply held her for a while.

"If I made you cry, you'll faint when you see the castle." He whispered to her. His small joke made Claire giggle through her tears.

They sat together for hours; he walked her around the grounds and let her explore all the new sights. As he had predicted, Claire had almost fainted when she saw the castle. They had made their way over to the forest and walked around Hagrids hut. She had cried several more times before becoming accustomed to seeing everything around her. They finally settled down against the giant Willow tree in front of the lake and simply enjoyed each others company. Claire simply could not stop kissing him, her heart was overjoyed and her smile was brighter then she could imagine.

"You haven't seen yourself yet." Severus reminded her and conjured a mirror. Claire analyzed her facial features and returned the mirror.

"What, no waterworks?" Severus asked and she nudged him. Claire wasn't as enthused with her appearance as she was with everything else around her. She didn't know why everyone made such a fuss, she looked…well, she didn't look like anything extraordinary with long dark brown hair, sharp features and deep blue eye's. Although she did like her eyes.

"I'm not that much of a big deal." She told him after he continued to badger her about her lack of enthusiasm.

"You have extremely odd taste if you believe my looks to be anything compared to yours. Besides, you haven't seen other men or women so you don't have anyone to compare me or yourself to." Severus 

said uneasily as if the thought of her not finding him as attractive as other wizards would wound him greatly.

"Don't worry about it, no one will compare to you." She laughed and got up to stretch.

"Come on Severus. Let's go inside so I can explore!" Claire said eagerly already starting on her way.

"Patience love, I have…another surprise." Severus said getting to his feet as well.

"Severus, I don't think I can handle your kind of surprises." Claire laughed but her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Her stomach pooled with excitement once again as he came up to her and clasped her hands tightly. She gazed into his black eyes and still couldn't believe she was actually _seeing_.

Then suddenly Severus knelt down on one knee and Claire felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She was gasping for breath silently as black pools shone up at her with uncertainty. She watched as he pulled out a shiny black and silver box from his inner pocket and opened it, revealing a gorgeous ring with studded diamonds. Severus cleared his throat.

"Claire Laurel, will you marry me?" Severus' deep silky voiced asked from where he knelt but Claire couldn't speak. After several moments of gazing into each others eyes it seemed as though Severus was loosing confidence. And then… she screamed. Claire screamed out in pure joy and knelt down beside him, hugging him around the waist.

"Yes! Of course!" She squealed and he laughed. Severus laughed, a full blown laugh from deep inside him. Claire was going to faint, she couldn't breath and her mind was racing a million miles an hour.

"Breath woman!" Severus laughed at her. Claire sucked in a breath of air and kissed him deeply. She let go just as quickly and danced around in a circle. She continued to laugh until her sides hurt.

"I-I can't believe this is happening!"She screamed into the night. Severus came up behind her quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Let's go inside before you wake the beasts of the forest who wish to feed on young witches who can't keep their mouths shut." Severus sneered playfully. Claire exhaled slowly but held her grin. The couple walked back inside the castle where Severus calmly placed the ring on her finger. Claire stared at it until she almost walked into a wall.

"Watch where you're going, you have new eyes, use them." Severus rolled his eyes and pushed her in the right direction.

"Are we sleeping in your place or mine?" Claire asked trying to keep her cool but her voice betrayed her excitement.

"Whichever one."

"Your place, I can see mine anytime." Claire said and then moved on towards the dungeon. Once they had settled down and Claire had had her time to explore they climbed into bed. Claire snuggled up against him and they didn't speak for several minutes.

"Claire?" Severus asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you go to sleep?" Severus asked as he stroked her hair gently. Claire took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Because I'm afraid it'll be gone in the morning, all of it. My sight and…and you." Claire whispered with sadness to her voice that made him uncomfortable.

"You will still be able to see, I promise. As for me, I'm not going anywhere."

\\\\

It had been several weeks since Severus had proposed, naturally the entire school found out in a matter of days. Teachers including Albus, Minerva, Sprout and the rest of the staff celebrated the happy news, both the engagement and her new found sight. Claire was beyond excited about her sight and found it even more exciting to teach her classes. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville had come up to her expressly to congratulate her. The students had been in shock for several weeks when they found out that their potions professor and their defence teacher were engaged but got over it quickly. As another sort of celebration, Albus had declared all end of the year exams to be _terminated,_ as Ron had put it one evening. Samuel was getting better every week but still remained in the hospital wing, much to his dismay. As for Draco, the child services had found him a home away from his original family due to their parenting being seen as unfit to serve the needs of a child.

He was doing much better.

It had been a long day and Claire's classes had been finalized She wanted to go and see her fiancé before the supper so she snuck into his chambers.

"Severus? Are you in here?" She called out but received no answer.

She tiptoed in to his quarters and admired them once again. She had planed on sitting on his bed waiting for him once he arrived but a small golden box on his bedside table caught her eye. She knew she shouldn't but the temptation was just too much. She crawled across his beautiful bed and opened up the smooth golden jewellery box. Inside was his necklace, why he had taken it off she didn't know but she fingered the golden chain with a moon on it. Curiosity killed the cat but what the hell. She turned it over and read what he had inscribed on the back.

It read: "A promise, to see myself through her eyes."

The End.

SEQUEL?

A/N- Hey guys! That's it that's all! It's finished, yay! Now comes the part where you guys (yes all of you) review and tell me what you think. And when I say all, I mean even if you just clicked on my story because you thought it was something else and decided (what the hell, I'll read it) you have to review to…got it? Thanks guys let me know now whether you think a sequel is a good idea, I promise not to be offended if you don't,

Thanks guys, for all the support and encouragement, you guys made this completion possible.


	38. Authors note

Authors note:

Greetings to everyone who read my fic and reviewed! I am extremely flattered to hear all your comments and responses; it makes me happy to have posted the story.

I would like to thank three very special people on fan fiction who have followed me since the very beginning. Debjunk, His Half Blood Princess and LetsTwistAnotherFairyTale. Thanks you three for staying with me the entire way through. If there are others who are reading this and had been with me the whole while and I just didn't know it, then thank you very much also. I'd like to thank each and every one of you who have reviewed to me once it was finished, you have no idea how frantic I was to get to my computer and read all your comments. Even after you've read this, like my story's been finished for weeks, i still want to hear some comments and get some reviews, thanks everyone.

**For those of you who asked me for a sequel,** I am extremely disappointed to tell you that I've decided to end it the way it is. I won't be writing another one but I'm am very positive that I'm going to be writing more with Severus (because I love him so) and most likely some with Harry and Lily. I'm starting a new fic soon, the plot is still under construction but hopefully I'll come up with something before I get writers block :S. Anyway, thank you for wanting a sequel and for those of you who had said 'no' to the sequel I appreciate very much that you told me. It definitely helped me decide when I got to hear from your side as well.

I know that some of you had **questions,** I have received two so far so I'm going to answer them right now.

**Q#1**: Why did Neville lie about chasing after his remembral? From: Sandboarder12

**A:** Well, to be completely honest, I had intended on bringing it up in the next chapter but completely forgot, so thank you for bringing it up. The real reason why Neville lied about the remembral is because at the time during the match, Malfoy had his wand aimed at Harry out of sight, where no teachers could see him. So it was Neville's decisions to either follow Malfoy and his gang where they wanted to take him or… Harry got cursed. Knowing that even though Malfoy and his gang had been caught the threat to Harry was still in existence, therefore he lied to Claire when she asked him what had happened.

**Q#2: **Why did Severus take of his necklace at the end of the fic? From: Silver-head angel

**A: **I was originally going to let you all decide for yourselves why he took it off and you still can but this is my perspective. He took it off and left it there on purpose. Due to Claire's curious nature he was sure she'd open the box, he thought maybe it was time she saw it.

If there are any more questions don't hesitate to ask and if you have a request for another story I would be very glad to hear it.

Thank you all very much.

-Sweetsnake


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